Systems utilizing integrated roofing accessories for controlling directions of communications and methods of use thereof

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods of the present disclosure include controlling directions of communications including a processor to obtain performance data of an integrated roofing accessory installed on a roof, the integrated roofing accessory including an antenna and a transceiver to enable fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol communication with a 5G-enabled device, and an adjustable attachment to orient or position the antenna. The performance data is indicative of 5G signal performance between the integrated roofing accessory and the 5G-enabled device. A signal performance affecting condition is determined using the performance data, where the signal performance affecting condition is a reduced signal performance of a 5G signal beam of the antenna. An improved orientation or an improved position of the antenna is determined to remedy the signal performance affecting condition. The adjustable attachment is controlled to physically adjust he orientation of the position to achieve the improved orientation or position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Pat. No. 10,910,693, issued onFeb. 2, 2021, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application62/895,855, filed on Sep. 4, 2019 and entitled “INTEGRATED ROOFINGSHINGLES”, and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The field of the present disclosure relates to structures having5G-enabled integrated roofing accessories with wiring passthroughs,including integrated shingles and other suitable roofing accessories.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

With the coming 5G network buildout by major carriers, typically,traditional wireless/cellular/over-air deployments will not work atscale. Due to the frequencies required to deliver on network speeds andreduce latency, signal propagation suffers.

Consequently, many carriers around the world are deploying coverageusing fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocols over current4G/LTE networks (herein referred to as “5G(lite)”), such as, e.g., usingfrequencies below 6 GHz (“sub-6” or “sub-6 GHz”). However, suchsolutions are not capable of the speeds and latencies of millimeter wave(mmWave) networks using 5G protocols (referred to herein as “5G”).

On average, 5G signals propagate about 300 meters in good conditions,but are easily blocked by trees, walls and/or inclement weather. Theresult is that the mmWave signals of 5G have a greatly reduced effectivedistance. As the frequencies are raised, the distance that an effective5G signal can be sent is reduced and the probability of signalblocking/absorption also increases.

As a result, there is a need for denser 5G cell site installations than4G, LTE and 5G(lite) deployments. Additionally, the supportinginfrastructure (backhaul) to connect the 5G cell sites or antennas tothe carriers, ultimately to the internet, typically employs fiber opticcabling. Supporting a fiber connection every few hundred meters, asneeded for effective 5G coverage, is difficult, if not impossible. Thetime and costs to do so are the current impediment to 5G rollout.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Systems, methods and apparatuses of embodiments of the presentdescription enable widespread and cost effective 5G signal coverageusing dense cell sites by embedding 5G-capable infrastructure in roofingaccessories that are installable in commercial and/or residentialroofing structures.

In some embodiments, the present description provides an exemplarysystem that include at least the following components: at least onefirst integrated roofing accessory installed on a first roof, where theat least one first integrated roofing accessory includes: i) at leastone first transceiver configured to produce millimeter wave (mmWave)frequency signals using at least one fifth generation cellularnetworking (5G) protocol, ii) at least one first dielectric antenna inelectrical communication with the at least one first transceiver foremitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the 5G protocols,iii) a first edge computing device having first processors and firstnon-transitory storages with first software to operate the first edgecomputing device in communication with the at least one firsttransceiver, and iv) at least one at least one first power supply. Atleast one second integrated roofing accessory is installed on a secondroof, where the at least one second integrated roofing accessoryincludes: i) at least one second transceiver configured to produce themmWave frequency signals using the 5G protocols, ii) at least one seconddielectric antenna in electrical communication with the secondtransceivers for emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the5G protocols, iii) a second edge computing device having secondprocessors and second non-transitory storages with second software tooperate the second edge computing device in communication with thesecond transceivers, and iv) a second power supply. At least one thirdintegrated roofing accessory is installed on a third roof, where the atleast one third integrated roofing accessory includes: i) at least onethird transceiver configured to produce the mmWave frequency signalsusing the 5G protocols, ii) at least one third dielectric antenna inelectrical communication with the at least one third transceiver foremitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the 5G protocols,iii) a third edge computing device having third processors and thirdnon-transitory storages with third software to operate the third edgecomputing device in communication with the at least one thirdtransceiver, and iv) a third power supply. The first software, thesecond software and the third software are configured to cause, whenexecuted, the at least one first integrated roofing accessory, the atleast one second integrated roofing accessory and third the plurality ofintegrated roofing accessories to form a 5G network using the mmWavefrequency signals, and at least one of the first software, the secondsoftware, and the third software are further configured to cause, whenexecuted, the 5G network to communicate with at least one computingdevice.

Another illustrative embodiment of the present description provides amethod that includes at least: obtaining at least one first integratedroofing accessory, including: i) at least one first transceiverconfigured to produce mmWave frequency signals using 5G protocols, ii)at least one first dielectric antenna in electrical communication withthe at least one first transceiver for emitting the mmWave frequencysignals according to the at least one 5G protocol, iii) a first edgecomputing device having at least one first processor and at least onefirst non-transitory storage with software. The systems and methodsinclude mounting the at least one first integrated roofing accessory ona first roof. Further included is obtaining at least one secondintegrated roofing accessory, including: i) at least one secondtransceiver configured to produce the mmWave frequency signals using theat least one 5G protocol, ii) at least one second dielectric antenna inelectrical communication with the at least one second transceiver foremitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at least one 5Gprotocol, iii) a second edge computing device having at least one secondprocessor and at least one second non-transitory storage with software.The systems and methods include mounting the at least one secondintegrated roofing accessory on a second roof. Further included isobtaining at least one third integrated roofing accessory, including: i)at least one third transceiver configured to produce the mmWavefrequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol, ii) at least onethird dielectric antenna in electrical communication with the at leastone third transceiver for emitting the mmWave frequency signalsaccording to the at least one 5G protocol, iii) a third edge computingdevice having at least one third processor and at least one thirdnon-transitory storage with software. The systems and methods includemounting the at least one third integrated roofing accessory on a thirdroof. The first software, the second software and the third software areconfigured to cause, when executed, the at least one first integratedroofing accessory, the at least one second integrated roofing accessoryand third the plurality of integrated roofing accessories to form a 5Gnetwork using the mmWave frequency signals, and at least one of thefirst software, the second software, and the third software are furtherconfigured to cause, when executed, the 5G network to communicate withat least one computing device.

Another illustrative embodiment of the present description provides amethod that includes at least: controlling, by at least one firstprocessor of at least one edge computing device of at least one firstintegrated roofing accessory, at least one first transceiver to producemmWave frequency signals using at least one 5G protocol, where the atleast one first integrated roofing accessory is installed on a firstroof. At least one first dielectric antenna is controlled by the atleast one first transceiver to emit the mmWave frequency signalsaccording to the at least one 5G protocol. Further included iscontrolling, by at least one second processor of at least one edgecomputing device of at least one second integrated roofing accessory, atleast one second transceiver to produce the mmWave frequency signalsusing the at least one 5G protocol, where the at least one secondintegrated roofing accessory is installed on a second roof. At least onesecond dielectric antenna is controlled by the at least one secondtransceiver to emit the mmWave frequency signals according to the atleast one 5G protocol. Further included is controlling, by at least onethird processor of at least one edge computing device of at least onethird integrated roofing accessory, at least one third transceiver toproduce the mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,where the at least one third integrated roofing accessory is installedon a third roof. At least one third dielectric antenna is controlled bythe at least one third transceiver to emit the mmWave frequency signalsaccording to the at least one 5G protocol. The at least one firstprocessor, the at least one second processor and the at least one thirdprocessor, produces a 5G network using the mmWave frequency signals, andat least one of the at least one first processor, the at least onesecond processor and the at least one third processor cause the networkto communicate with at least one computing device.

In some embodiments, the present description provides an exemplarysystem that include at least the following components: a first pluralityof integrated roofing accessories installed on a first roof, where thefirst plurality of integrated roofing accessories include: i) at leastone first transceiver configured to produce millimeter wave (mmWave)frequency signals using at least one fifth generation cellularnetworking (5G) protocol, ii) at least one first dielectric antenna inelectrical communication with the at least one first transceiver foremitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the 5G protocols,iii) a first edge computing device having first processors and firstnon-transitory storages with first software to operate the first edgecomputing device in communication with the at least one firsttransceiver, and iv) at least one first power supply. A second pluralityof integrated roofing accessories are installed on a second roof, wherethe second plurality of integrated roofing accessories include: i) atleast one second transceiver configured to produce the mmWave frequencysignals using the 5G protocols, ii) at least one second dielectricantenna in electrical communication with the at least one secondtransceiver for emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the5G protocols, iii) a second edge computing device having secondprocessors and second non-transitory storages with second software tooperate the second edge computing device in communication with the atleast one second transceiver, and iv) at least one second power supply.A third plurality of integrated roofing accessories are installed on athird roof, where the third plurality of integrated roofing accessoriesinclude: i) at least one third transceiver configured to produce themmWave frequency signals using the 5G protocols, ii) at least one thirddielectric antenna in electrical communication with the at least onethird transceiver for emitting the mmWave frequency signals according tothe 5G protocols, iii) a third edge computing device having thirdprocessors and third non-transitory storages with third software tooperate the third edge computing device in communication with the atleast one third transceiver, and iv) at least one third power supply.The first software, the second software and the third software areconfigured to cause, when executed, the first plurality of integratedroofing accessories, the second plurality of integrated roofingaccessories and third the plurality of integrated roofing accessories toform a 5G network using the mmWave frequency signals, and at least oneof the first software, the second software, and the third software arefurther configured to cause, when executed, the 5G network tocommunicate with at least one computing device.

Another illustrative embodiment of the present description provides amethod that includes at least: obtaining a first plurality of integratedroofing accessories, including: i) at least one first transceiversconfigured to produce mmWave frequency signals using 5G protocols, ii)at least one first dielectric antenna in electrical communication withthe at least one first transceiver for emitting the mmWave frequencysignals according to the at least one 5G protocol, and iii) a first edgecomputing device having at least one first processor and at least onefirst non-transitory storage with software. The systems and methodsinclude mounting the first plurality of integrated roofing accessorieson a first roof. Further included is obtaining a second plurality ofintegrated roofing accessories, including: i) at least one secondtransceiver configured to produce the mmWave frequency signals using theat least one 5G protocol, ii) at least one second dielectric antenna inelectrical communication with the at least one second transceiver foremitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at least one 5Gprotocol, and iii) a second edge computing device having at least onesecond processor and at least one second non-transitory storage withsoftware. The systems and methods include mounting the second pluralityof integrated roofing accessories on a second roof. Further included isobtaining a third plurality of integrated roofing accessories,including: i) at least one third transceiver configured to produce themmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol, ii) atleast one third dielectric antenna in electrical communication with theat least one third transceiver for emitting the mmWave frequency signalsaccording to the at least one 5G protocol, and iii) a third edgecomputing device having at least one third processor and at least onethird non-transitory storage with software. The systems and methodsinclude mounting the third plurality of integrated roofing accessorieson a third roof. The first software, the second software and the thirdsoftware are configured to cause, when executed, the first plurality ofintegrated roofing accessories, the second plurality of integratedroofing accessories and third the plurality of integrated roofingaccessories to form a 5G network using the mmWave frequency signals, andat least one of the first software, the second software, and the thirdsoftware are further configured to cause, when executed, the 5G networkto communicate with at least one computing device.

Another illustrative embodiment of the present description provides amethod that includes at least: controlling, by at least one firstprocessor of at least one edge computing device of at least one firstplurality of integrated roofing accessories, at least one firsttransceiver to produce mmWave frequency signals using at least one 5Gprotocol, where the first plurality of integrated roofing accessoriesare installed on a first roof. At least one first dielectric antenna iscontrolled by the at least one first transceiver to emit the mmWavefrequency signals according to the at least one 5G protocol. Furtherincluded is controlling, by at least one second processor of at leastone edge computing device of at least one second plurality of integratedroofing accessories, at least one second transceiver to produce themmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol, where thesecond plurality of integrated roofing accessories are installed on asecond roof. At least one second dielectric antenna is controlled by theat least one second transceiver to emit the mmWave frequency signalsaccording to the at least one 5G protocol. Further included iscontrolling, by at least one third processor of at least one edgecomputing device of at least one third plurality of integrated roofingaccessories, at least one third transceiver to produce the mmWavefrequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol, where the thirdplurality of integrated roofing accessories are installed on a thirdroof. At least one third dielectric antenna is controlled by the atleast one third transceiver to emit the mmWave frequency signalsaccording to the at least one 5G protocol. The at least one firstprocessor, the at least one second processor and the at least one thirdprocessor, produces a 5G network using the mmWave frequency signals, andat least one of the at least one first processor, the at least onesecond processor and the at least one third processor cause the 5Gnetwork to communicate with at least one computing device. The systemsand methods of some embodiments further include where at least one ofthe at least one first integrated roofing accessory, the at least onesecond integrated roofing accessory, or the at least one thirdintegrated roofing accessory is integrated into at least one modifiedphotovoltaic module.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one modified photovoltaic module includes at least onephotovoltaic panel.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one of the at least one first transceiver, the at least one secondtransceiver, or the at least one third transceiver includes asoftware-defined radio module.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where thesoftware-defined radio module includes a virtual firewall.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the 5Gnetwork is defined according to an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)model.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one first integrated roofing accessory further includes: acompartment, holding: i) the at least one first transceiver, ii) the atleast one first dielectric antenna, and iii) the at least one first edgecomputing device; where a portion of the compartment including a roofingmaterial; and a frame connected to the compartment and to the firstroof.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where thecompartment extends vertically above the first roof.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where theframe is installed into a ridge vent of the first roof.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one first integrated roofing accessory further includes: ashingle, holding: i) the at least one first transceiver, ii) the atleast one first dielectric antenna, and iii) the at least one first edgecomputing device.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one first dielectric antenna is a plurality of first dielectricantennas.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one first integrated roofing accessory further includes: a siding,holding: i) the at least one first transceiver, ii) the at least onefirst dielectric antenna, and iii) the at least one first edge computingdevice.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where atleast one of the first software, the second software, or the thirdsoftware are further configured to cause, when executed, the 5G networkto communicate with at least one customer access radio enabled computingdevice.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where thecustomer access radio enabled device includes a WiFi communicationmodule.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one first integrated roofing accessory includes a first datastorage device and a first compute device; where the at least one secondintegrated roofing accessory includes a second data storage device and asecond compute device; where the at least one third integrated roofingaccessory includes a third data storage device and a third computedevice; and where the first software, the second software and the thirdsoftware are configured to cause, when executed, the at least one firstintegrated roofing accessory, the at least one second integrated roofingaccessory and third the plurality of integrated roofing accessories toform a distributed datacenter across the 5G network.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include a fiberoptic connection between a backhaul network and at least one of the atleast one first integrated roofing accessory, the at least one secondintegrated roofing accessory, or the at least one third integratedroofing accessory.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the 5Gnetwork is a mesh network.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include an array ofphotovoltaic panels; and where at least one of the at least one firstintegrated roofing accessory, the at least one second integrated roofingaccessory, or the at least one third integrated roofing accessory ispowered by the array of photovoltaic panels.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include a mainspower connection via a ridge vent; and where at least one of the atleast one first integrated roofing accessory, the at least one secondintegrated roofing accessory, or the at least one third integratedroofing accessory is powered by the mains power connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

At least one embodiment of the disclosure is herein described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specificreference now to the drawings in detail, the embodiments shown are byway of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion ofembodiments of the disclosure. In this regard, the description takenwith the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art howembodiments of the disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 1 depicts a non-limiting embodiment of an integrated roofingaccessory according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a non-limiting embodiment depicting the attachment of theintegrated roofing accessory of FIG. 1 to a roof.

FIGS. 3A and 3B depict non-limiting embodiments depicting schematics ofa 5G network employing antennae integrated into the integrated roofingaccessory of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict non-limiting embodiments depicting arrangementsof integrated roofing accessories of FIG. 1 on residential roofs.

FIG. 5 depicts a non-limiting embodiment depicting integrated roofingaccessories of FIG. 1 embedded into various roof locations.

FIG. 6 depicts a non-limiting embodiment depicting an arrangement of theintegrated roofing accessories of FIG. 1 across an area for 5G meshcoverage over the whole area.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict example diagrams of an adjustable attachment forpositioning an integrated roofing accessory on a roof in an adjustablefashion.

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict example diagrams of adjustable attachments forpositioning multiple integrated roofing accessories on a roof in anindependently or cooperatively adjustable fashion.

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative attachment arrangement for an integratedroofing accessory using a ridge vent.

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative attachment arrangement for an integratedroofing accessory using a ridge vent.

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict one or more embodiments of various illustrativeattachment mechanisms for an integrated roofing accessory using a ridgevent.

FIGS. 12A through 12E depict one or more additional embodiments ofvarious illustrative attachment mechanisms for an integrated roofingaccessory using a ridge vent.

FIG. 13 depicts another illustrative attachment mechanism for anintegrated roofing accessory.

FIG. 14 depicts a flowchart of an illustrative method for optimizing aposition and/or orientation of an integrated roofing accessory via anattachment mechanism.

FIG. 15 depicts a flowchart of an illustrative method for optimizing aposition and/or orientation of an integrated roofing accessory via anattachment mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, otherobjects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures. Detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosedherein; however, the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative ofthe disclosure that may be embodied in various forms. In addition, eachof the examples given regarding the various embodiments of thedisclosure which are intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.

Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take themeanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,”and “in some embodiments” as used herein do not necessarily refer to thesame embodiment(s), though it may. Furthermore, the phrases “in anotherembodiment” and “in some other embodiments” as used herein do notnecessarily refer to a different embodiment, although it may. Allembodiments of the disclosure are intended to be combinable withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the disclosure.

As used herein, the term “based on” is not exclusive and allows forbeing based on additional factors not described, unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification,the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references.

All prior patents, publications, and test methods referenced herein areincorporated by reference in their entireties.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systemsthat include the least one integrated roofing accessory. As definedherein an “integrated roofing accessory” is a roofing accessory with atleast one 5G-infrastructure-supporting (“5G-enabled”) electroniccomponent. In some embodiments, the at least one5G-infrastructure-supporting electronic component is embedded within atleast one roofing accessory component. In another embodiments, the atleast one 5G-infrastructure-supporting electronic component is directlyor indirectly attached to at least one roofing accessory component.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to at least oneintegrated roofing accessory. Some embodiments of the present disclosureinclude a plurality of integrated roofing accessories. Some embodimentsof the present disclosure include at least three integrated roofingaccessories. Some embodiments of the present disclosure include at leastfive integrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments of the presentdisclosure include at least ten integrated roofing accessories. Someembodiments of the present disclosure include at least fifty integratedroofing accessories. Some embodiments of the present disclosure includeat least one hundred integrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments ofthe present disclosure include at least one-thousand integrated roofingaccessories.

In some embodiments, there are 1 to 10,000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments there are 1 to 5000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 1000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 100 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 50 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 25 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 10 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 5 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 2 integrated roofingaccessories.

In some embodiments, there are 2 to 10,000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 5 to 10,000 integratedroofing accessories. In some embodiments, there are 10 to 10,000integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments, there are 50 to10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments, there are100 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments, thereare 500 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments,there are 1000 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In someembodiments, there are 5000 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories.

In some embodiments, there are 2 to 5000 integrated roofing accessories.In some embodiments, there are 5 to 1000 integrated roofing accessories.In some embodiments, there are 10 to 5000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 50 to 100 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 60 to 90 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 70 to 80 integrated roofingaccessories.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one roofing accessory component ofthe at least one integrated roofing accessory include: roofing caps,laminate roofing accessories, roofing sheets, ridge caps, ridge vents,roofing frames, roofing shingles and the like, or any combinationthereof. Additional non-limiting examples of the at least one portion ofthe roofing accessory are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,165,363 and10,180,001, both of which are incorporated by reference in theirrespective entireties.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one electronic component of the atleast one integrated roofing accessory include: at least one antenna, atleast one solar array, at least one battery, at least one computingdevice, at least one controller, at least one processor, the like, orany combination thereof. The at least one electronic component may alsoinclude one or more processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuitelements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and soforth), integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits(ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), digital signal processors(DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers,semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth. Insome embodiments, the one or more processors may be implemented as aComplex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) or Reduced Instruction SetComputer (RISC) processors; x86 instruction set compatible processors,multi-core, or any other microprocessor or central processing unit(CPU). In various implementations, the one or more processors may bedual-core processor(s), dual-core mobile processor(s), and so forth.Additional examples of suitable electronic components can be found in USPatent Application Publication No. 2019/0123679, which is incorporatedby reference herein in entirety.

As used herein, the term “dynamically” means that events and/or actionscan be triggered and/or occur without any human intervention. In someembodiments, events and/or actions in accordance with the presentdescription can be in real-time and/or based on a predeterminedperiodicity of at least one of: nanosecond, several nanoseconds,millisecond, several milliseconds, second, several seconds, minute,several minutes, hourly, several hours, daily, several days, weekly,monthly, etc.

As used herein, the term “real-time” is directed to an event/action thatcan occur instantaneously or almost instantaneously in time when anotherevent/action has occurred. For example, the “real-time processing,”“real-time computation,” and “real-time execution” all pertain to theperformance of a computation during the actual time that the relatedphysical process (e.g., a user interacting with an application on amobile device) occurs, in order that results of the computation can beused in guiding the physical process.

FIG. 1 depicts a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of a 5G cell inhaving an integrated roofing accessory described herein. In thenon-limiting exemplary embodiment, integrated roofing accessory 11 maybe in a form of frame that may include at least one cover 18, and atleast one electronics compartment 20, jointly referenced herein as theframe components. In some embodiments, the frame components may alsoinclude a front edge portion 14, a right edge portion 16, a left edgeportion 17 and a back-edge portion (not shown). Together, the front edgeportion 14, the right edge portion 16, the left edge portion 17 or backedge portion may form a frame to carry or enclose the cover 18 andelectronics compartment 20. In some embodiments, the combination of theframe, the cover 18 and the electronics compartment 20 may form anintegrated roofing accessory 11 that may be installed on a roof (asingle 5G cell site) as a unit with or without additional integratedroofing accessories.

In some embodiments, the front edge portion 14, the right edge portion16, the left edge portion 17 or back edge portion may be separatelyattachable to each other, to the cover 18, or both. However, in someembodiments, the front edge portion 14, the right edge portion 16, theleft edge portion 17 or back edge portion are all fixed to each other,such as by being integrally formed together, fastened together with asuitable fastener (e.g., bolt, screw, rivet, pin, etc.), connected viaan adhesive, or by some other method. The frame of the integratedroofing accessory 11 may then carry the cover 18 and/or electronicscompartment 20. In some embodiments, the frame components may be made ofany material. In some embodiments, the frame components include at leastone of molded or extruded plastic, aluminum, a polymer compositematerial, the like, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, each of the cover 18, electronics compartment 20and any other frame components may be integrally formed, e.g., by, forexample, without limitation, molding or cutting the electronicscompartment 20 into a material, such as, e.g., roofing material (e.g., apolymer or other suitable roofing material). Thus, the electronics ofthe electronics compartment 20 as well as the attachment mechanisms ofthe front edge portion 14, the right edge portion 16, the left edgeportion 17 or back edge portion may be embedded into the material.

In some embodiments, the front edge portion 14, the right edge portion16, the left edge portion 17 or back edge portion, or a combinationthereof may be fixed to the cover 18 or removably attached. Moreover, asshown in FIG. 2, one or more roofing accessories 11 can be joined viaone or more frame components (for example, without limitation, by one ormore attachment mechanisms on the front edge portion 14, the right edgeportion 16, the left edge portion 17 or back edge portion, or acombination thereof). For example, integrated roofing accessories 11 maybe removable joined among themselves and/or removably joined to otherroofing accessories and components, such as shingles, waterproofingmembranes, underlayment, tiles, photovoltaic panels, among othersuitable roofing accessories and components to cover a roof via, forexample, without limitation, suitable mating mechanisms on one or moreframe components (e.g., the cover 18) Various additional examples of theframe components that may be utilized to build and/or join theintegrated roofing accessories 11 among themselves or to other roofingaccessories, and their arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.9,169,646 which issued on Oct. 27, 2015; U.S. Pat. No. 9,273,885 whichissued on Mar. 1, 2016; and U.S. Pat. No. 10,256,765 which issued onApr. 9, 2019, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety for such specific purposes.

In some embodiments, at least one electronic component 21 is housed inthe electronics compartment 20, which may be mounted to or recessed inthe top surface of roof and mounted to or embedded into an underside ofthe cover 18. In some embodiments, cover 18 may be covered with aprotective material chosen from at least one of, a polymer, an epoxy,the like, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the framecomponents may also include at least one additional electronicscompartment (not shown), which may include at least one secondelectronic component and wiring to electrically connect the integratedroofing accessory 11 to additional roofing accessories andinfrastructure (e.g., power source, photovoltaic panels, additionalintegrated roofing accessories 11, etc.). For example, one or more theframe components may be formed with a data bus or data bussed to enableelectronic communication with mating busses of adjacent and/or attachedadditional roofing accessories. As such, electronic components 21 mayinterconnect with electronic components in other roofing accessories tocreate a system of interconnect roofing accessories.

In some embodiments, the cover 18 and electronics compartment 20 form amodified photovoltaic module of the integrated roofing accessory 11. Forexample, the modified photovoltaic module may have a photovoltaic panelemployed as the cover 18. In some embodiments, the modified photovoltaicmodule includes a frame constructed from the frame components, and theelectronic components 21 included within the electronics compartment 20.In some embodiments, electronics compartment 20 may be integrated intothe photovoltaic panel, when such is utilized as the cover 18, or in oneor more of the front edge portion 14, the right edge portion 16, theleft edge portion 17 or back edge portion of the frame components. Insome embodiments, the electronics compartment 21 may be an additionalcompartment enclosed within the integrated roofing accessory 11 (e.g.,enclosed by one or more framing components (e.g., the cover 18)).

In some embodiments, the modified photovoltaic module may include aphotovoltaic panel (as the cover 18), that may be modified to collocate5G-enabled antennae with the photovoltaic panel, e.g., withoutlimitation, by placing one or more antenna elements between photovoltaiccells of the photovoltaic panel, placing one or more antenna elementsover or under photovoltaic cells of the photovoltaic panel, integratingantenna elements into the photovoltaic cells of the photovoltaic panel,or by another suitable technique. Accordingly, a 5G radio of theelectronic components 21 may emit a signal via the photovoltaic panelsusing the collocated antennae.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory 11 may emit 5Gsignals using one or more antennae integrated into the cover 18. Forexample, a dielectric antenna may be embedded in a polymer sized tocover one or more frame components such as, without limitation, theelectronics compartment 20. In some embodiments, the dielectric antennamay be a patch antenna, or other suitable antenna for embedding in thecover 18 such that the cover 18 may form an antenna module covering theelectronic components 21 of the integrated roofing accessory 11. As aresult, the cover 18 may serve as both a roofing accessory toweatherproof a roof of a house, as well as an antenna for a 5G network,as described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may be mountedonto a roof 43 using any suitable attachment mechanism such as fasteners(e.g., nails, screws, pins) and/or adhesives, or by attachmentmechanisms mating to the attachment mechanisms of the frame components(left and right edge portions 16/17, front edge portion 14, and backedge portion (not shown)), such as the attachment mechanisms disclosedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,169,646, 9,273,885, and 10,256,765, incorporated byreference above. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories11 can be coated with asphalt before, during, or after installation. Insome embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may be mountedon, under, or within one or more roofing materials. As used herein, theterm “roofing material” includes, but is not limited to, shingles,waterproofing membranes, underlayment, tiles and photovoltaic panels.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 on the roof43 may electrically communicate with each other wirelessly or via awired connection routed through the side portions 16/17 (e.g., via abus, as described above). Accordingly, in some embodiments, oneintegrated roofing accessory 11 on the roof 43 can be connected to apower source, such as, e.g., via wiring 24 to a connection in a ridgevent 23 or to some other power source connection. However, in someembodiments, each roofing accessory 11 may be separately connected tothe wiring 24 to the ridge vent 23.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory mayinclude electronics components 21 including a communication module thatis configured to allow 5G signals to be transmitted. In someembodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory may includeelectronics components 21 including a communication module that isconfigured to allow 5G signals to be received. In some embodiments, theat least one integrated roofing accessory may include electronicscomponents 21 including a communication module that is configured toallow 5G signals to be transmitted and received.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessoryincludes at least one embedded antenna. As used herein, the term“antenna” or “antennae” can refer to a device that is part of atransmitting or receiving system to transmit or receive wirelesssignals. In some embodiments, the at least one embedded antenna isconfigured to perform at least one of the following operations:receiving electromagnetic waves (e.g., 5G signals), transmittingelectromagnetic waves (e.g., 5G signals), or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory isconfigured to support at least one signal propagation strategy. The atleast one signal propagation strategy includes, but is not limited to,at least one of: many inputs-many outputs (MIMO), beam forming mesh, thelike, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the at least one embedded antenna is at least onedielectric antenna. In some embodiments, the at least one dielectricantenna takes the form of at least one dielectric antenna array. In someembodiments, the at least one dielectric antenna array includes aplurality of dielectric antennas configured to wirelessly receive acontrollable beam in response to electromagnetic waves. In someembodiments, the at least one dielectric antenna array includes aplurality of dielectric antennas configured to wirelessly transmit acontrollable beam in response to the electromagnetic waves. In someembodiments, the at least one dielectric antenna array includes aplurality of dielectric antennas configured to wirelessly transmit andreceive a controllable beam in response to the electromagnetic waves.

In some embodiments, the dielectric antenna is embedded within the cover18 or is covered by the cover 18 within the at least one recessedelectronics compartment 19. Accordingly, the cover 18 may be constructedfrom a material that has a minimal effect on the 5G signals emitted bythe dielectric antenna, such as a material that is transparent to mmWavesignals, thus causing sufficiently low attenuation to the mmWave signalsfor a stable data transmission or reception. For example, the cover 18may include a polymer, including engineered polymers, such as the D30™Gear4™ and 5G Signal Plus material having microvoids for reducing mmWaveattenuation, as disclosed by “D30 INTRODUCES 5G SIGNAL PLUS TECHNOLOGY”,D30 Press Release,<https://www.d3o.com/partner-support/press-releases/d3o-introduces-5g-signal-plus/>(accessed, 1 Sep. 2020), herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety. In some embodiments, the dielectric antenna is mounted on anexterior surface of the at least one frame 12, e.g., on an exterior ofthe cover 18 relative to the at least one recessed electronicscompartment 19.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory mayinclude at least one of an embedded photovoltaic array (e.g., an arrayof photovoltaic panels), an embedded battery, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, at least one of the embedded photovoltaicarray, the embedded battery, or any combination thereof can dynamicallysupply power to roofing accessories and solutions.

In some embodiments, the embedded battery is configured to be charged byeither the embedded photovoltaic array or an external power source. Insome embodiments, the embedded battery is configured to deliver directcurrent (DC) power to devices or systems on or around a roof. In someembodiments, the embedded battery is configured to deliver alternatingcurrent (AC) power to devices or systems on or around a roof.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessoryincludes at least one of: at least one computing device, at least onestorage component, or at least one memory component. In someembodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory is configuredto dynamically carry out prescribed functions. In some embodiments, theat least one integrated roofing accessory is configured to be controlledremotely by a network operator or administrator (e.g., a 5G network),such as in a software defined network 30 as described below withreference to FIG. 3A. In some embodiments, the at least one integratedroofing accessory is configured to be controlled remotely by a wiredconnection. In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofingaccessory includes a base configuration. In some embodiments, the atleast one integrated roofing accessory can be expanded from the baseconfiguration.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one computing device include atleast one personal computer (PC), laptop computer, ultra-laptopcomputer, tablet, touch pad, portable computer, handheld computer,palmtop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular telephone,combination cellular telephone/PDA, television, smart device (e.g.,smart phone, smart tablet or smart television), mobile internet device(MID), messaging device, data communication device, and the like.Additional non-limiting examples of the at least one computing deviceinclude processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g.,transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integratedcircuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmablelogic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmablegate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips,microchips, chip sets, and so forth. In some embodiments, the one ormore processors may be implemented as a Complex Instruction Set Computer(CISC) or Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processors; x86instruction set compatible processors, multi-core, or any othermicroprocessor or central processing unit (CPU). In variousimplementations, the one or more processors may be dual-coreprocessor(s), dual-core mobile processor(s), and so forth.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one storage component or the leastone memory component include: read only memory (ROM); random accessmemory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flashmemory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms ofpropagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.), or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, a plurality of integrated roofing accessoriesdescribed herein can be installed on a plurality of roofs, so as tocreate an integrated roofing accessory network (5G network). In someembodiments, a plurality of integrated roofing accessories describedherein can be installed on a single roof so as to create the integratedroofing accessory network.

In some embodiments, a method of using an integrated roofing accessorynetwork described herein includes: providing a plurality of integratedroofing accessories as described herein; transmitting at least oneelectromagnetic signal (e.g., a 5G signal) from a first integratedroofing accessory; and receiving the at least one electromagnetic signalby a second integrated roofing accessory. In some embodiments, thesecond integrated roofing accessory further transmits the at least oneelectromagnetic signal to a third integrated roofing accessory, and soon. In some embodiments, the first integrated roofing accessory islocated on a first building, the second integrated roofing accessory islocated on a second building, the third integrated roofing accessory islocated on a third building, and so on.

FIG. 3A depicts a networking model incorporating a 5G-enabled integratedroofing accessory 11 according to aspects of embodiments of the presentdescription.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory network may beconfigured to utilize Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model,utilizing a flamework of standards for communication between differentsystems manufactured by different vendors, to communicate betweenintegrating roofing accessories and other devices and/or systems (e.g.,wireless carrier network, home network, etc.). The OSI model creates anopen systems networking environment where any vendor's computer system,connected to any network, freely shares data with any other computersystem on that network, or on a linked network.

Typically, the OSI model organizes the communication process into sevendifferent layers of interrelated protocols in a layered sequence. Layers1 through 3 define network access protocols and layers 4 through 7 dealwith end-to-end communication protocols between a message source and amessage destination. Each layer includes at least one function that iswithin an upper and a lower logical boundary. The services of each layerare combined with the services of lower layers to create new servicesthat are made available to the higher layers. The layers include:

-   -   a. Layer 1 is a physical layer that responsible for the        transmission and reception of unstructured raw data between a        device and a physical transmission medium, including converting        the digital bits into electrical, radio, or optical signals,        with layer specifications defining characteristics such as        voltage levels, the timing of voltage changes, physical data        rates, maximum transmission distances, modulation scheme,        channel access method and physical connectors;    -   b. Layer 2 is a data link layer that provides node-to-node data        transfer via a link between two directly connected nodes,        including detecting detects, and possibly correcting, errors        that may occur in the physical layer, with definitions of the        protocol to establish and terminate a connection between two        physically connected devices, and the protocol for flow control        between them;    -   c. Layer 3 is a network layer that provides the functional and        procedural means of transferring variable length data sequences        (called packets) from one node to another connected in        “different networks” for routing and switching functions;    -   d. Layer 4 is a transport layer utilizing layers 1 to 3 to        provide an end-to-end service having required characteristics        for the higher layer functions, including the functional and        procedural means of transferring variable-length data sequences        from a source to a destination host, while maintaining the        quality of service functions;    -   e. Layer 5 is a session layer that controls the dialogues        (connections) between computers to provide the means to        establish a session connection and to support an orderly        exchange of data and related control functions for a particular        communication service;    -   f. Layer 6 is a presentation layer that provides means for data        formatting and code conversion to map the syntax and semantics        to communication between application layer entities; and    -   g. Layer 7 is an application layer that interacts with software        applications that implement a communicating component, the        protocols of which provide the actual service sought by an end        user.

In some embodiments, the set-up of the exemplary integrated roofingaccessory network in accordance with present disclosure may includesoftware modules or combination software and hardware modules formingsoftware-defined radio (SDR) 31 that include software that executes andassembles OSI layers 3-7 and transmission hardware (e.g., antennae 313and transceivers 312) that execute OSI layers 1-2, or combinations ofsoftware and hardware.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may includehardware-based radio modules for interfacing with a 5G network. Theradio modules may include circuitry for each of, e.g., amplifying,filtering, mixing, attenuating, etc. However, in some embodiments, theintegrated roofing accessories employ SDR 31 modules. An SDR 31 modulecan be formed from hardware including a general-purpose processingdevice with software-based virtual signal processing components foramplifying, filtering, mixing, attenuating, etc. to produce the SDR 31through virtual means.

In some embodiments, a basic SDR 31 module may include a processingdevice (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or graphical processing unit(GPU)) equipped with an analog-to-digital converter, preceded by someform of RF front end. In some embodiments, the RF front end includesantennae 313 (e.g., one or more dielectric antennae or other suitableantenna types) and a transceiver 312. Significant amounts of signalprocessing are handed over to the general-purpose processor, rather thanbeing done in special-purpose hardware (electronic circuits). Such adesign produces a radio which can receive and transmit widely differentradio protocols based solely on the software used.

In some embodiments, layer 1 of a software defined network 30 accordingto the OSI model layers can include the physical components of theintegrated roofing accessories 11 and respective SDR 31 modules. In someembodiments, such physical components may include, e.g., one or moreantennae 313. Each integrated roofing accessory 11 on each building mayinclude physical antennae 314-316 to form a network of integratedroofing accessories 11 installed as roofing accessories throughout anarea.

As described above, to improve signal density and signal number, as wellas maximize the number of concurrent connections, the antennae 313 mayinclude antenna elements positioned on a roof of a structure, such ashouse or building. In some embodiments, the antenna elements may beconfigured for 5G signaling. In some embodiments, the antennae 313 mayinclude further elements for 4G signaling, or the 5G elements may becompatible with the frequencies for 4G.

In particular, in some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories11 may employ layer 1, or physical, components including antennae 313 toprovide an uplink and downlink signal transmission method for randomaccess, channel measurement, and terminal feedback in a cellular networkusing fifth generation (5G) frequency bands including unlicensed,licensed shared and extremely high frequency (EHF) bands, as well as anyother 5G functionalities over 5G and mmWave frequency bands.

In some embodiments, the 5G communication system is considered to beimplemented in higher frequency (mmWave) bands, e.g., 60 GHz bands, soas to accomplish higher data rates. To decrease propagation loss of theradio waves and increase the transmission distance, the beamforming,massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO(FD-MIMO), array antenna, an analog or digital beam forming, or othersignal propagation enhancements, and combinations thereof. Accordingly,the integrated roofing accessories 11 may include antennae 313 thatincorporate such MIMO, FD-MIMO, array, beamforming and othertechnologies for improved mmWave signal propagation.

In some embodiments, such integrated roofing accessories 11 employ aphysical antennae 313 to facilitate development of advanced small cells,cloud radio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks,device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, moving network,cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (COMP),reception-end interference cancellation and the like. In a 5G system,such as one formed by a network of the integrated roofing accessories 11(and, optionally, additional 5G-enabled devices and systems), OrthogonalFrequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), hybrid frequency shift keying(FSK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) (FQAM) and sliding windowsuperposition coding (SWSC) may be employed individually or incombination as advanced coding modulation (ACM). In some embodiments,filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA),and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced access technologymay be incorporated instead or in addition.

Typically, in 5G communication, use of new frequency bands may beemployed to obtain wider bandwidths for data rates of at least 1 Gbps.The mmWave frequency band in particular is a candidate for widebandwidth transmissions. The mmWave frequency band is the 30 to 300 GHzband of the electromagnetic spectrum (10 to 1 mm wavelength).Accordingly, the antennae 313 may be configured for to emit and receivesignals in the mmWave frequency band. Spectrum in traditional cellularbands, below 6 GHz (e.g., “5G(lite)”), is finite. As cellular datatraffic continues to grow, new frequency bands may need to be consideredfor use. Unlike traditional cellular bands, mmWave bands may allow largeblocks of contiguous spectrum to be allocated, allowing for bandwidthson the order of GHz or more. Moreover, the mmWave frequency bands mayallow multi-element antenna arrays to be used.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the antennae 131 may includemulti-element antenna arrays, which may comprise very small elements,with sizes on the scale of integrated-circuit (IC) chip elements. Use ofthese multi-element antenna arrays may provide large antenna gain andsufficient power output through over-the-air power combining. Thiscombination of large bandwidths and device architectures may allowmmWave antennae 131 to provide peak rates on the order of 10 Gbps and toprovide ample capacity to meet the future demands.

However, in mmWave communication, power loss is large owing toattenuation of radio waves, limiting the transmission distance. Thus, insome embodiments, beamforming may be employed to overcome the limitationof short transmission distance. With beamforming, transmission power canbe concentrated in a specific direction according to the configurationof a transmitting antennae 313. When receiving, the antennae 313 mayalso enhance performance in a specific direction with beamforming.Beamforming (or spatial filtering) is a signal processing technique usedin sensor arrays for directional signal transmission or reception. Thisis achieved by combining elements in an antenna array in such a way thatsignals at particular angles experience constructive interference whileothers experience destructive interference. Beamforming can be used atboth the transmitting and receiving ends in order to achieve spatialselectivity

In some embodiments, the antenna elements of the antennae 313 may becontrollable for MIMO signaling. In radio, multiple-input andmultiple-output, or MIMO, is a method for multiplying the capacity of aradio link using multiple transmission and receiving antennas to exploitmultipath propagation. The MIMO is a space-time signal processing wherea natural dimensional of transmitting data is complemented with aspatial dimension inherent in the use of multiple spatially distributedantennas. MIMO is able to turn multipath propagations into a benefitbecause signals on the transmit antennas at one end and the receiverantennas at the other end are integrated such that a quality of biterror rate (BER) or a data rate of the communication for each wirelessuser or a transmitting distance is improved, thereby increasing acommunication network's quality of service.

A MIMO channel contains many individual radio links, hence it has Nt×NrSISO (Single-Input Single-Output) channels (also called sub-channels),where Nt refers to a number of transmit channels, and Nr refers to anumber of receive channels. For example, a 2×2 MIMO arrangement contains4 links and hence 4 SISO channels. The SISO channels can be combined invarious ways to transmit one or more data streams to the receiver. Thus,the antenna elements may be separate, individually controllable antennae313, or sub-elements of a single antennae 313, or a combination thereof,that together may communicate data. In some embodiments, the antennae313 may include MIMO signaling capabilities include, e.g., 2×2, 4×4,6×6, 8×8 or more SISO channels. For example, the antennae 313 mayinclude, e.g., phased array antennae for MIMO and microwave signalgeneration, including, loop and/or patch antenna elements integratedinto a printed circuit board (PCB) and embedded in the integratedroofing accessory 11. For example, a wideband polarized patch antennaand in an antenna array that can cover mmWave frequency bands 5Gapplications may be employed and may be single or dual-polarized. Oneembodiment the antenna package may a high-density interconnected (HDI)FR-4 printed circuit board (PCB) substrate, or other suitable widebandmmWave antenna array having a size to fit within the integrated roofingaccessory 11 described above.

Long-Term Evolution (LTE), or 4G, is a standard developed by the 3GPP(3rd Generation Partnership Project) for wireless broadbandcommunication for mobile devices and data terminals, based on the GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM)/Enhanced Data Rates for GlobalEvolution (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS)/High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technologies. It increases thecapacity and speed using a different radio interface together with corenetwork improvements over prior (3G) standards. However, WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Evolved HSPA (HSPA+), andLTE may be included as 4G technologies. Accordingly, the antennae 313may additionally include GSM, EDGE, UMTS and HSPA frequencies inaddition to mmWave frequencies as described above. For example, such 4Gfrequencies may have better range and penetration for reduced signalblockage and dissipation, thus improving long range stability.Accordingly, the 4G antenna element so the antennae 313 may be used for,e.g., backhaul communication or other long-range uses.

In some embodiments, the antennae 313 may be positioned in a location toprovide the best line-of-sight to both other antennae 314 through 316 aswell as 5G-enabled computing devices. Both height and orientation mayplay in a role in providing line-of-sight to other devices, with a highlocation facilitating raising the antennae 313 above potentialobstructions. Accordingly, as described above, installation as a roofingaccessory on residential or commercial roof may provide positioning forfacilitating mesh networking with additional antennae 314 through 316 aswell as 5G signaling for data transmission to and from computingdevices.

Moreover, mmWave antennae 313 may require power to operate, and sometimesignificant amount of power. Indeed, greater power supply may improvesignal propagation, or distance with which a signal may maintainthroughput and stability. Installation as a roofing accessoryfacilitates providing roof-mounted photovoltaic panels or mains power,e.g., via a ridge vent or other similar access structure.

In some embodiments, level two components in a module of the SDR 31 andsoftware defined network 30 can include data link components such as,e.g., a receiver, transmitter, transceiver 312 or combination thereof.In some embodiments, the transceiver 312 may be included in theelectronic devices of the integrated roofing accessory 11 to control theantennae 313 for frequency control and modulation of emitted signals.Such a transceiver 312 may be selected or configured to balancecomplexity of signals and density or number of concurrent connections orchannels with computational complexity, heat and size. In someembodiments, these factors may be balanced to achieve an optimal balancethat maximizes signal complexity and number of concurrent connectionswhile maintaining a size and heat output that is sustainable within anintegrated roofing accessory 11.

Similarly, cost and circuit complexity/heat output may be balancedagainst power supply and amplitude of the antennae 313. As more power issupplied, the transceiver 312 may generate more heat and consume moreenergy, but signal propagation may be extended. Additionally, a higherquality, more sensitive and complex transceiver 312 may improvesignal-to-noise ratios for better signal stability and datatransmission.

In some embodiments, the transceiver 312 plays an active role in the SDR31 by effectuating at least four sub-layers to the OSI Model layer 2,including, e.g., Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet DataConvergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control, Medium Access Control,among others.

The medium access control (MAC) sublayer is the layer that controls thehardware responsible for interaction with the wired, optical or wirelesstransmission medium. The MAC sublayer and the logical link control (LLC)sublayer together make up the data link layer. Within the data linklayer, the LLC provides flow control and multiplexing for the logicallink (i.e. EtherType, 802.1Q VLAN tag etc.), while the MAC provides flowcontrol and multiplexing for the transmission medium.

RLC is located on top of the 3GPP MAC-layer and below the PDCP-layer.The main tasks of the RLC protocol are: Transfer of upper layer ProtocolData Units (PDUs) in one of three modes: Acknowledged Mode (AM),Unacknowledged Mode (UM) and Transparent Mode™; Error correction throughARQ (only for AM data transfer); Concatenation, segmentation andreassembly of RLC SDUs (UM and AM); Re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs(AM); Reordering of RLC data PDUs (UM and AM); Duplicate detection (UMand AM); RLC SDU discard (UM and AM); and RLC re-establishment.

Protocol error detection and recovery Packet Data Convergence Protocol(PDCP) is specified by 3GPP in TS 25.323 for UMTS, TS 36.323 for LTE andTS 38.323 for 5G New Radio (NR). PDCP is located in the Radio ProtocolStack in the UMTS/LTE/5G Air interface on top of the RLC layer.

A SDAP sub-layer is above the PDCP sublayer in 5GNR. PDCP is the firstsublayer in the 3GPP protocol stack that receives/transmits networklayer traffic (TCP/IP traffic). Data Radio Bearer (DRB) is the logicalconnection used inside the 5G protocol stack to carry data PDUs. SDAPfunctionality is to map quality-of-service (QoS) flow to and from DRB atthe PDCP sublayer in both downlink and uplink direction. The mainservices and functions of SDAP include the following: mapping between aQoS flow and a data radio bearer; marking QoS flow ID (QFI) in both DLand UL PDUs; and mapping the flow to one of the uplink DRB. Similarly,when a downlink PDU is received at the PDCP and it contains SDAP headerwhich is removed, and the PDU is passed to upper layer.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the transceiver 312 controls theantennae 313 for efficient transmission via, e.g., beamforming and MIMOfunctionality as described above. A beamforming protocol, such as thatdefined as part of the proposed IEEE 802.11 ad/WiGig standard, may beused to find a path between a cooperating pair of transmitter andreceiver antennas. Beamforming techniques in mmWave systems are complexand require significant computing overhead to accomplish.

In some embodiments, the transceiver 312 may, therefore, include aselection from transceivers and/or modems integrated or embedded inintegrated circuit or system-on-chip design. For example, a 5G modem,such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ X50, X52 and/or X55 modems, AnalogDevices Inc. AD9375, or other suitable modem and transceiver solutionssuitable to be integrated into an integrated roofing accessory 11 for anSDR 31.

In some embodiments, the antennae 313 and 312 may be packaged in, e.g.,an embedded solution, such as a system-on-chip architecture, howeverother integrate circuit packaging methodologies may be employed topackage the antennae 313 and transceiver 312 under the cover 18 in anelectronics compartment 20 as the first electronic device and/or the atleast one second electronic device 21. In some embodiments, the antennae313 are separate from the transceiver 312 and in electroniccommunication with each via, e.g., copper wiring, or other wiringsolution, or via a standardized data interface such as, e.g., PCIe,SATA, NVME, USB, ethernet, Registered Jack (e.g., RJ11), or other datacommunication interface, such as the wiring 22.

In some embodiments, as a separate electronic device or integrated intothe system-on-chip of the transceiver 312, the SDR 31 may optionallyinclude a virtual firewall (vFirewall) 311. In some embodiments, thevFirewall 311 may regulate data communication between the transceiver312 and the software defined network 30 to prevent untrusted orunauthorized data, files, programs, scripts and other information fromharming the software defined network 30 and software and hardwarecomponents therein.

In some embodiments, the vFirewall 311 may include a network firewallservice or appliance running entirely within a virtualized environmentand which provides the usual packet filtering and monitoring providedvia a physical network firewall. The vFirewall 311 can be realized as atraditional software firewall on a guest virtual machine alreadyrunning, a purpose-built virtual security appliance designed withvirtual network security in mind, a virtual switch with additionalsecurity capabilities, or a managed kernel process running within thehost hypervisor.

In some embodiments, the vFirewall 311 may operate in different modes toprovide security services, depending on the point of deployment. Forexample, the vFirewall 311 may operate in either bridge-mode orhypervisor-mode. Both may come shrink wrapped as a virtual securityappliance and may install a virtual machine for management purposes.

A virtual firewall operating in bridge-mode acts like its physical-worldfirewall analog; it sits in a strategic part of the networkinfrastructure—usually at an inter-network virtual switch or bridge—andintercepts network traffic destined for other network segments andneeding to travel over the bridge. By examining the source origin, thedestination, the type of packet it is and even the payload the VF candecide if the packet is to be allowed passage, dropped, rejected, orforwarded or mirrored to some other device. Initial entrants into thevirtual firewall field were largely bridge-mode, and many offers retainthis feature.

By contrast, a virtual firewall operating in hypervisor-mode is notactually part of the virtual network at all, and as such has nophysical-world device analog. A hypervisor-mode virtual firewall residesin the virtual machine monitor or hypervisor where it is well positionedto capture VM activity including packet injections. The entire monitoredVM and all its virtual hardware, software, services, memory and storagecan be examined, as can changes in these. Further, since ahypervisor-based virtual firewall is not part of the network proper andis not a virtual machine its functionality cannot be monitored in turnor altered by users and software limited to running under a VM or havingaccess only to the virtualized network.

In some embodiments, because the vFirewall 311 is positioned in the SDR31 at the intersection between the software defined network 30 and otherantennae 314 through 316 of a 5G mesh network, the vFirewall 311 may beconfigured to operate in bridge mode.

In some embodiments, as a SDR 31, the transceiver 312 and vFirewall 311may be implemented as software components within a general-purposeprocessing device, such as, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) (e.g.,an x86, x64, ARM, RISC-V, PowerPC, MIPS, SPARC, or other complexinstruction set computer (CISC) or reduced instruction set computer(RISC) processors), graphical processing unit (GPU), neural processingunit (NPU), field programmable gate array (FPGA), microprocessor, orother processing device or combinations thereof. In some embodiments,different functions of the transceiver 312 and vFirewall 311 may beconfigured to be implemented with separate processing components ofprocessor package including multiple processing devices, processing orcompute cores, or combinations thereof. For example, the processorpackage may include, e.g., one or more CPU cores, one or more GPU cores,one or more NPU cores, a digital-to-analog (DAC) converter, ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC), a 5G model including radio-frequencyreceiver, transmitter and/or transceiver, cache, on chip storage, randomaccess memory (RAM), as well as data interfaces to interface with one ormore additional processor devices, components or packages as well as tointerface with the antennae 313 via the transceiver 312.

In some embodiments, the processing components of the SDR 31 mayadditionally be configured to integrate the SDR 31 into one or morenetworks, including the software defined network 30 and a 5G meshnetwork incorporating additional antennae 314 through 316 fromadditional integrated roofing accessories 11 and additional 5G-enabledcomputing devices, as well as any other suitable network. Accordingly,the SDR 31 may cooperate with, e.g., the software defined network 30 toimplement networking and communication protocol layers of the OSI Model.For example, such layers may include layer 3 for networking, layer 4 fortransport and layer 5 for session control and configuration. Such layersfacilitated the SDR 31 to communicate with other antennae 314 through316 even where the other antennae 314 through 316 are manufactured andprogrammed by different entities or using different software andfirmware.

In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 implements layers 3through 5 to establish a platform or standard network to integrate theSDR 31 into compute and communication resources. In some embodiments,the software defined network 30 implements the layers 3 through 5 tooperate as a control layer for all communication between sub-systems orelectronics modules of the software defined network 30 (including, e.g.,the SDR 31 module), multi-access edge computing 32, distributed datacomponents 33, consumer access radio 34 (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee,Z-Wave, 4G/LTE, 5G(lite), 3G, etc.), among other sub-systems andelectronics modules of the integrated roofing accessory 11 and devicesin communication therewith.

In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 may integrate thesub-systems and electronics modules into a single system by defining thedata traffic within the software defined network 30, e.g., usingsoftware-defined common resource management (SD-CRM). The SD-CRM can beused for networking functions and application/service functions. Thus,the SD-CRM can manage transport functions for layers zero through fouras well as application functions for layers four and higher. The SD-CRMcan provide a platform for network services, network control of serviceinstantiation and management, as well as a programmable environment forresource and traffic management. The SD-CRM also can provide aconsolidated network management interface to permit the combination ofreal time data from the service and network elements with real-time ornear real-time control of the forwarding plane. Thus, embodiments of theconcepts and technologies described herein can enable near real-timeconfiguration and real-time flow setup, programmability through serviceand network script-like logic, extensibility for competitivedifferentiation, standard interfaces, and multi-vendor support, amongother features. Interactions between these layers can be based uponpolicies to determine optimum configuration and rapid adaptation of thenetwork to changing state and changing customer requirements forexample, spikes in traffic, network outages (e.g., due to snow storms,blackouts, natural disasters, or the like), adding new services (e.g.,VoIP/web RTC, authentication, etc.), maintenance, combinations thereof,or the like.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the SD-CRM may define whatcommunication will run over each SDR 31 module on the software definednetwork 30 (e.g., the SDR 31, the customer access radio 34, amongothers). In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 may extendto additional integrated roofing accessories 11 to incorporate the SDRstherein into a common software defined network 30. As a result, theSD-CRM may control traffic between the various SDRs 31 of the variousintegrated roofing accessories 11 to form a distributed computingenvironment for control of multiple SDR 31 modules to cooperate within acohesive 5G network. Thus, multiple integrated roofing accessories 11may be combined to create a larger antenna structure, facilitatingmodular functionality. In some embodiments, once a 5G network iscreated, the SD-CRM defines the traffic that traverses it.

In some embodiments, the SD-CRM of the software defined network 30 maybe implemented with, e.g., a network switch 300 as shown in FIG. 3B. Insome embodiments, the network switch 300 may be configured to manage asoftware defined network 30 according to a network protocol, such as,e.g., the OpenFlow protocol, Accordingly, the network switch 300 may bea software defined (e.g., logical) switch protocol defined by one ormore controllers 305. In some embodiments, however, the switch 300 maybe a hardware switch or embodied in a specialized hardware device, suchas, e.g., a single or multiport Ethernet switch (e.g., a Zodiac FX™ orother similar Ethernet switch), or other network switch device ordevices.

In some embodiments, the network switch 300 may include one or more flowtables 302 and group tables 303, which perform packet lookups andforwarding, and one or more channels 304 to the external controller orcontrollers 305. The switch 300 communicates with the controllers 305and the controllers 305 manage the switch 300 via the switch protocolby, e.g., adding, updating and deleting flow entries in flow tables 302.

In some embodiments, the switch 300 includes multiple flow tables 303.Thus, upon receiving packets of network traffic via one or more of theports 301, the packets are compared in to entries in each flow table 302starting with the first flow table and may continue to additional flowtables of the pipeline. The packet may first start in a table 0 andcheck those entries based on priority. Highest priority will match first(e.g. 200, then 100, then 1). If the flow needs to continue to anothertable, the packet may be advanced to the table specified in theinstructions until a match is found, and the corresponding instructionsare executed.

In some embodiments, the ports 301 may include physical and/or logicalports. Examples of hardware ports may include, e.g., ethernetinterfaces, while logical ports may include, e.g., LGs, tunnels,loopbacks and other logical interfaces.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, the software defined network 30 may includethe incorporation of data storage and compute resources. For example, amulti-access edge computing (MEC) 32 system may be employed in eachintegrated roofing accessory 11 or in communication with each integratedroofing accessory 11 as part of the software defined network 30. In someembodiments, the MEC 32 may include a CPU 321, a memory 322, anon-transitory storage device 323 among other processing devices andcomponents (e.g., GPUs, NPUs, codecs, DAC, ADC, etc.). In someembodiments, the MEC 32 is integrated onto the same board or PCB as theSDR 31 module such that, e.g., compute, memory and/or storage resourcesare shared. However, in some embodiments, the MEC 32 may be a separateset of processing resources relative to the SDR 31 module.

In some embodiments, the MEC 32 may control the software defined network30, including, e.g., implementing layers 3 through 5, and/or layers 6and 7 for data presentation and application functionality, respectively.For example, the MEC 32 may provide a user application functionality toadminister network protocols, security policies, flow tables, grouptables, among other software administration functionalities pertainingto the implementation of layers 1 through 5 described above.Accordingly, the MEC 32 is effectively the control module for thesoftware defined network 30 implemented by one or more integratedroofing accessories 11 with user definable policies via, e.g., suitableuser interfaces. Such user interfaces may provide the user withadministrative functionality to control the software defined network 30and components therein, as well as to collect and locally store data andservice metrics relative to the operation of the components and thesoftware defined network 30. Thus, the MEC 32 may include a suitableprocessing package including the CPU 321, memory 322 and non-transitorystorage device 323 for generating and providing to a user the userinterface in a network management console. Such processing package mayinclude, e.g., PCB mounted CPU 321, memory 322 and non-transitorystorage device 323 and/or a system-on-chip, and/or other suitableprocessing package. For example, the MEC 32 may include, e.g., aRaspberry Pi, Arduino, Nvidia TX2, or other configurable processingpackage.

In some embodiments, multiple integrated roofing accessories 11 withrespective antennae 313 through 316 may be networked together using 5Gsignals to create a broader software defined network 30. Such a broadernetwork may be leveraged to implement a distributed datacenter 33 acrossthe integrated roofing accessories 11 on the network. Accordingly, thesoftware defined network 30 may be configured to share storage 331 andcompute 332 resources for distributed processing and storage of userdata, e.g., received via the customer access radio 34 and shared acrossintegrated roofing accessories 11 via antennae 313 through 316. Such adistributed datacenter 33 may be employed for, e.g., cloud storage,media and data streaming, content distribution (e.g., as a contentdistribution network (CDN)), among other distributed applications.

In some embodiments, a user may interface directly with the softwaredefined network 30 via a 5G connection using a 5G-enabled computingdevice, or via the customer access radio 34 via a customer access radioenabled device. In some embodiments, the customer access radio 34includes, e.g., a WiFi radio 342. The customer access radio enableddevice may include any computing device having hardware and/or softwarefor communicating with the WiFi radio 342. Accordingly, the integratedroofing accessory 11 using the software defined network 30 may includeboth 5G connectivity as well as WiFi connectivity or other customeraccess wireless protocol connectivity, for example, for in-home WiFiusing the same integrated roofing accessory 11 that provides 5G carrieror internet-service-provider (ISP) connectivity. In some embodiments,similar to the SDR 31, the customer access radio 34 may include avFirewall 342 to enhanced security of the software defined network 30.

In some embodiments, the storage 331 may be implemented with suitablestorage components such as, e.g., a series for solid state drives (SSD)or M.2 storage drives. M.2 drives are a newer, smaller, and fastervariant of an SSD. The storage 331 subsystem may be configured in aRedundant Array of Independent Drives (RAID) variant (5 or 10) or as aHadoop Distributed Files System (HDFS). Either system provides a levelof data security and fault tolerance. HDFS has an advantage with errorchecking and the ability to assign multiple namenodes. Namenodes aresimply indexes to where the data resides. Data Nodes can be configuredto store multiple copies of the data across several drives. Namenodesmanage data on the data nodes by sector—more granular and removes theneed to remove an entire drive from the system like a RAID array.Depending on the RAID level it allows for one or two drive failures andstill have the system function normally. However, an additional drivefailure would cause catastrophic data loss. So, to prevent data loss,drives will need to be continually replaced.

In comparison, HDFS allows for sector level management per drive. UsingHDFS, multiple drives failures does not cause catastrophic failure/dataloss. HDFS storage management concern may be on the overall capacity ofthe system and namenode versus physical drive failure. Therefore, anHDFS managed storage solution may reduce the time and effort required tosupport an integrated roofing accessory 11 platform.

In some embodiments, complimentary to datacenter 33 storage 331 iscompute 332. Compute 332 allows applications and services to be writtenand operate within a distributed space. Like a typical datacenter orcloud infrastructure, compute 332 may enable services to be deployedacross a distributed network. Unlike primary cloud networks, thedistributed datacenter 33 of the integrated roofing accessories 11 maynot have defined services or applications. Rather, the distributeddatacenter 33 may employ compute 332 to have a hypervisor-like serviceto manage and deploy infrastructure for the user. In some embodiments,each integrated roofing accessory 11 may be a network of dense singleboard computers (SBC) with multiple cores or embedded servers.Advantageously, such compute 332 solutions may be resilient to extremeenvironmental conditions, such as, e.g., high temperatures, lowtemperatures, moisture and humidity, vibrations, shock, among otherenvironmental conditions. An example of a possible SBC or embeddedserver may include, e.g., a Grizzly VL-ESU-5070, or other suitabledevice.

In some embodiments, to support data science workloads, pipelines andmodels Graphical Processing Units (GPU) may be deployed within theintegrated roofing accessory 11 in the software defined network 30 inmuch the same manner as the CPU. An example SBC that supports highdensity GPU may include, e.g., Nvidia Jetson Nano or other suitabledevice.

In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 within and acrossintegrated roofing accessories 11 may be included with a power source.In some embodiments, low-power devices may be employed, such as, e.g.,systems-on-chip similar to those used in smartphones and other mobiledevices. Accordingly, power may be provided via, e.g., on-boardbatteries, photovoltaic panel mounted to the same roof as the integratedroofing accessory 11 or as a cover 18 on the integrated roofingaccessory 11. However, in some embodiments, to achieve greater range andstability of the 5G signal, high power components for a more powerfulSDR 31 may be employed. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the integratedroofing accessories 11 may be connected directly to mains power via,e.g., an AC to DC (AC/DC) converter, or to a larger scale solar arrayinstalled on the roof or nearby, or both.

In some embodiments, various components and devices, including5G-enabled computing devices and 5G-enabled integrated roofingaccessories 11 may include or be incorporated, partially or entirelyinto at least one personal computer (PC), laptop computer, ultra-laptopcomputer, tablet, touch pad, portable computer, handheld computer,palmtop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular telephone,combination cellular telephone/PDA, television, smart device (e.g.,smart phone, smart tablet or smart television), mobile device, messagingdevice, data communication device, and so forth.

As used herein, the term “mobile device,” or the like, may refer to anyportable electronic device that may or may not be enabled with locationtracking functionality (e.g., MAC address, Internet Protocol (IP)address, or the like). For example, a mobile electronic device caninclude, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), Blackberry™, Pager, Smartphone, smart watch, or anyother reasonable mobile electronic device.

Examples of hardware elements may include processors, microprocessors,circuits, circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors,inductors, and so forth), integrated circuits, application specificintegrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), digitalsignal processors (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), logicgates, registers, semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets,and so forth. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may beimplemented as a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) or ReducedInstruction Set Computer (RISC) processors; x86 instruction setcompatible processors, multi-core, or any other microprocessor orcentral processing unit (CPU). In various implementations, the one ormore processors may be dual-core processor(s), dual-core mobileprocessor(s), and so forth.

In some embodiments, the processing device may include any type of dataprocessing capacity, such as a hardware logic circuit, for example anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and a programmable logic,or such as a computing device, for example, a microcomputer ormicrocontroller that include a programmable microprocessor. In someembodiments, the processing device may include data-processing capacityprovided by the microprocessor. In some embodiments, the microprocessormay include memory, processing, interface resources, controllers, andcounters. In some embodiments, the microprocessor may also include oneor more programs stored in memory.

Examples of software may include software components, programs,applications, computer programs, application programs, system programs,machine programs, operating system software, middleware, firmware,software modules, routines, subroutines, functions, methods, procedures,software interfaces, application program interfaces (API), instructionsets, computing code, computer code, code segments, computer codesegments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof.Determining whether an embodiment is implemented using hardware elementsand/or software elements may vary in accordance with any number offactors, such as desired computational rate, power levels, heattolerances, processing cycle budget, input data rates, output datarates, memory resources, data bus speeds and other design or performanceconstraints.

In some embodiments, as detailed herein, one or more of exemplaryinventive computer-based systems/platforms, exemplary inventivecomputer-based devices, and/or exemplary inventive computer-basedcomponents of the present disclosure may obtain, manipulate, transfer,store, transform, generate, and/or output any digital object and/or dataunit (e.g., from inside and/or outside of a particular application) thatcan be in any suitable form such as, without limitation, a file, acontact, a task, an email, a tweet, a map, an entire application (e.g.,a calculator), etc. In some embodiments, as detailed herein, one or moreof exemplary inventive computer-based systems/platforms, exemplaryinventive computer-based devices, and/or exemplary inventivecomputer-based components of the present disclosure may be implementedacross one or more of various computer platforms such as, but notlimited to: (1) AmigaOS, AmigaOS 4; (2) FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD; (3)Linux; (4) Microsoft Windows; (5) OpenVMS; (6) OS X (Mac OS); (7) OS/2;(8) Solaris; (9) Tru64 UNIX; (10) VM; (11) Android; (12) Bada; (13)BlackBerry OS; (14) Firefox OS; (15) Ios; (16) Embedded Linux; (17) PalmOS; (18) Symbian; (19) Tizen; (20) WebOS; (21) Windows Mobile; (22)Windows Phone; (23) Adobe AIR; (24) Adobe Flash; (25) Adobe Shockwave;(26) Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW); (27) Cocoa (API);(28) Cocoa Touch; (29) Java Platforms; (30) JavaFX; (31) JavaFX Mobile;(32) Microsoft XNA; (33) Mono; (34) Mozilla Prism, XUL and XULRunner;(35) .NET Framework; (36) Silverlight; (37) Open Web Platform; (38)Oracle Database; (39) Qt; (40) SAP NetWeaver; (41) Smartface; (42) Vexi;and/or (43) Windows Runtime.

In some embodiments, devices and components of the integrated roofingaccessories 11 of the present disclosure may be configured to utilizehardwired circuitry that may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions to implement features consistent with principlesof the disclosure. Thus, implementations consistent with principles ofthe disclosure are not limited to any specific combination of hardwarecircuitry and software. For example, various embodiments may be embodiedin many different ways as a software component such as, withoutlimitation, a stand-alone software package, a combination of softwarepackages, or it may be a software package incorporated as a “tool” in alarger software product.

For example, exemplary software specifically programmed in accordancewith one or more principles of the present disclosure may bedownloadable from a network, for example, a website, as a stand-aloneproduct or as an add-in package for installation in an existing softwareapplication.

For example, exemplary software specifically programmed in accordancewith one or more principles of the present disclosure may also beavailable as a client-server software application, or as a web-enabledsoftware application. For example, exemplary software specificallyprogrammed in accordance with one or more principles of the presentdisclosure may also be embodied as a software package installed on ahardware device.

In some embodiments, various devices and components of the integratedroofing accessories 11, such as the MEC 32, may be configured to outputto distinct, specifically programmed graphical user interfaceimplementations of the present disclosure (e.g., a desktop, a web app.,etc.). In various implementations of the present disclosure, a finaloutput may be displayed on a displaying screen which may be, withoutlimitation, a screen of a computer, a screen of a mobile device, or thelike. In various implementations, the display may be a holographicdisplay. In various implementations, the display may be a transparentsurface that may receive a visual projection. Such projections mayconvey various forms of information, images, and/or objects. Forexample, such projections may be a visual overlay for a mobile augmentedreality (MAR) application.

FIG. 4A depicts an example 5G transmission signal emitted from anantenna 431 of an integrated roofing accessory 11 in accordance withaspects of embodiments of the present description.

In some embodiments, 5G antennae may be directional in nature, asdescribed above, due to factors such as beamforming and antenna shape.Accordingly, an antenna 431 may emit a signal 432 in a conical“field-of-view” (FOV) within which the angular beam steering range 433over which the antenna 431 can direct a beamformed signal 432. Thesignal 432 is formed as a beam and may be emitted in any directionwithin the limits of the FOV of the antenna. In some embodiments, theantenna 431 may have an FOV defined by the beam steering range 433, suchas, e.g., within an angle of incidence within about 45 degrees, 60degrees, 70 degrees, or 80 degrees of a normal incidence relative to asurface of the antenna 431, or other angle of incidence. Thus, the beamsteering range 433 may cover angles of incidence across about, e.g., 90,120, 140, 160 or other suitable range of angles of incidence ofbeamformed 5G signals emitted from the antenna 431.

FIG. 4B depicts various integrated roofing accessory antenna placementsrelative to a roof of a structure in accordance with aspects ofembodiments of the present description.

As described above, effectiveness of signal coverage in a physical areais affected by the orientation and position of 5G antennae due to thedirectional nature imposed by beamforming 5G signals. Accordingly,integrated roofing accessories 11 and associated antennae may beinstalled on a roof 43 as a roofing accessory in one or more of variouspositions and orientations to best suit the environment.

In some embodiments, an integrated roofing accessory 11 may include acoplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a. The coplanar integratedroofing accessory 431 a is a roofing accessory shaped package that isinstalled alongside traditional roofing accessories or roofing materialon the roof 43 of the structure 40. For example, the coplanar integratedroofing accessory 431 a may have a shape matching the shingles of aresidential home, thus forming a shingle for the roof, or integratedshingle. Thus, a top surface of the coplanar integrated roofingaccessory 431 a may be coplanar with the surrounding roofing material.

In some embodiments, the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a mayhave a thickness greater than the surrounding roofing material. In sucha case, the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a may be insertedinto a recess within the roof 43 such that a top surface of the coplanarintegrated roofing accessory 431 a is at a height above a top surface ofthe roof 43 that is coplanar with a top surface of the surroundingroofing material. However, in some embodiments, the coplanar integratedroofing accessory 431 a may be installed on the top surface of the roof43 such that the top surface of the coplanar integrated roofingaccessory 431 a rises to a height above the top surface of the roof 43that is above a height of the top surface of the surrounding roofingmaterial above the top surface of the roof 43.

In some embodiments, the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a mayhave the advantages of being roughly flush with the roof 43, providing adiscrete device that homeowners or building owners would find lessobjectionable, and thus be more likely to install. However, the angle ofa slope of the roof 43 direct a normal angle of incidence of an antennaof the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a upward. As a result,due to the beam steering range 433 of the coplanar integrated roofingaccessory 431 a being finite, the portion of the beam steering range 433that can project a beam formed signal towards a device on the ground isreduced, resulting in less area that may be covered by the coplanarintegrated roofing accessory 431 a. Indeed, where the roof ishorizontal, the beam steering range 433 may not extend even towardsother integrated roofing accessories because the normal incidence wouldbe directed vertically toward the sky.

Similarly, a ridge vent integrated roofing accessory 431 c or front orback face siding integrated roofing accessory 431 b may be employed thatcan be recessed into a surface of the structure 40 or mounted on thesurface of the structure 40 for low profile and discrete installation.However, similar to the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a, thedirectional nature of the 5G antenna results in reduced sightlinesafforded by the beam steering range 433, and thus reduced coverage. Theridge vent integrated roofing accessory 431 c may have better coveragebecause it may be configured to have two antenna portions, with eachportion aligning with the slopes of the roof 43 on each side of theridge, thus multiplying the beam steering range 433. However, eachantenna portion nevertheless may have reduced lines of sight to theground where 5G-enabled devices may be located, thus reducing effectivecoverage in the area.

In some embodiments, to mitigate the coverage loss due to thedirectionally mounted coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a, thesiding integrated roofing accessory 431 b and the ridge vent integratedroofing accessory 431 c, multiple roofing accessories may be used on asingle roof (5G cell site). For example, the coplanar integrated roofingaccessory 431 a may be installed on each roof slope of the roof 43, andthe siding integrated roofing accessory 431 b on each side of thestructure, or on each face of the structure extending between roofslopes as a portion of the siding. In some embodiments, alternatively orin addition, to one or more coplanar integrated roofing accessories 431a, one or more siding integrated roofing accessories 431 b, one or moreridge vent integrated roofing accessories 431 c may be installed in theridge vent of the roof 43. Thus, antennae from the various roofingaccessories are angled in multiple directions to provide overlappingbeam steering ranges 433 for increased coverage in an area around thestructure 43.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the various roofing accessories can beintegrated into a mesh network or a common software defined network,such as the software defined network 30 described above. As a result,the roofing accessories can share compute and storage resources, andbehave as a cohesive system.

Additionally, or alternatively, each of the coplanar integrated roofingaccessories 431 a and siding integrated roofing accessories 431 b may beantennae only or software define radios only, such as the antennae 313and SDR 31 described above. Each coplanar integrated roofing accessory431 a and siding integrated roofing accessory 431 b may interface with ahub roofing accessory in the ridge vent to centralize compute, storage,and user access radios in the ridge vent integrated roofing accessory431 c. Accordingly, each integrated roofing accessory may represent amodular component of an integrated roofing accessory 11 that may beseparately detached and applied to various portions of the roof 43 tooptimize coverage, while a control module including the centralizedresources may be located in the ridge vent near access to power andinfrastructure within the structure 40.

In some embodiments, a vertical attachment integrated roofing accessory431 d may be employed that extends up from the roof in a verticaldirection above the ground and the roof 43. In some embodiments, thevertical attachment integrated roofing accessory 431 d may have multiplevertically oriented faces, each having a horizontal angle of normalincidence relative to an antenna. For example, the vertical attachmentintegrated roofing accessory 431 d may have a box configuration withfour vertical faces, each vertical face including an antenna. However,any number of faces may be used, such as, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10 or more faces. In some embodiments, the faces may be arrangedradially around a center point such that the combination of faces formsa prismatic shape. In some embodiments, the vertically oriented edges ofeach face may abut the vertically oriented edges of each adjacent faceto form an enclosed prism.

In some embodiments, the number of faces may depend on the beam steeringrange 433 of each antenna. For example, where the beam steering range433 includes a 90-degree range (e.g., a maximum angle of incidence of 45degrees relative to the normal incidence), the vertical attachmentintegrated roofing accessory 431 d may be configured with four antennassuch that where the beam steering range 433 of one antenna ends, thebeam steering range 433 of an adjacent antenna begins.

In some embodiments, rather than a prismatic arrangement of faces, thevertical attachment integrated roofing accessory 431 d may usetriangular or trapezoidal faces that are angled downward to the ground,such that the combination of faces form an upside-down pyramid. Such anarrangement of faces directs the beam steering range 433 of each antennato cover a larger area of the ground, thus increasing effective coverageof the vertical attachment roofing accessory 431 d. The angle of facesmay be selected to balance coverage of the ground with coverage of otherstructures 40 to communicate with other integrated roofing accessories11. As such, the faces may be oriented such that the beam steering range433 may include a vertical limit of the range that extends to an angleabove a horizontal that projects over a highest integrated roofingaccessory 11 within the signal range of the vertical attachmentintegrated roofing accessory 431 d.

In some embodiments, each face of the vertical attachment integratedroofing accessory 431 d may include an antennae 313 and/or an SDR 31. Insome embodiments, electronics components, e.g., the MEC 32, compute 332and storage 331, and optionally the SDR 31, as well as other electronicscomponents, may be housed in an electronics compartment (e.g.,electronics compartment 20) in a centralized location relative to thefaces and shared amongst all the faces. The electronics compartment mayextend vertically above the roof 43, enclosed by the faces of thevertical attachment integrated roofing accessory 431 d. Thus, processingcomponentry may be reduced and the vertical attachment integratedroofing accessory 431 d may be modularized for any number of antennaebut only needing one central computing resource hub.

However, the vertical attachment integrated roofing accessory 431 d mayalso or alternatively be a combination of multiple integrated roofingaccessories 11 configured into a single software defined network 30 toshare resources amongst each roofing accessory. Such an arrangementresults in fewer individual parts and easy plug-and-play construction ofvertical attachment integrated roofing accessories 431 d, as well asprocessing and storage redundancy.

Indeed, in some embodiments, the vertical attachment integrated roofingaccessory 431 d may be formed by arranging multiple siding integratedroofing accessories 431 b or coplanar integrated roofing accessories 431a into the prismatic or pyramidal arrangement of faces described above.Similarly, the ridge vent integrated roofing accessory 431 c may be twoor more coplanar integrated roofing accessories 431 a or sidingintegrated roofing accessories 431 b arranged to match the shape of theridge of the roof. As a result, regardless of which roofing accessorypositioning is used, the same integrated roofing accessory 11 parts maybe employed, only in different arrangements and positions on the roof43, reducing a number of models and a number of form factors ofintegrated roofing accessories 11, and thus reducing manufacturingcomplexity and cost.

In some embodiments, regardless of the location, each integrated roofingaccessory, 431 a, 431 b, 431 c and 431 d, may be configured to accessresources from the structure 40 via the ridge vent. For example, theroofing accessories may include wiring or cabling to connect to mainspower, roof mounted solar power, in-structure networking, a hardwirebackhaul network (e.g., fiber optic cabling), among other resourcesrouted through the structure 40 via the ridge vent.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example 5G mesh network using integrated roofingaccessories installed on roofs of residential homes according to aspectsof embodiments of the present description.

In some embodiments, because 5G signals are directional (see,beamforming described above), antenna placement in an area can affect 5Gsignal stability and strength because 5G signals may be dependent uponthe clearest line of sight for the best possible communication. As such,roof placement for structure-to-structure and the placement on thestructure may affect the integrity and strength of the signal.

In some embodiments, each home 40 a, 40 b and 40 c is fitted with a5G-enabled integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c,respectively. The integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31 cmay provide at least two forms of communication: mesh networking withinformation sharing by signals between each integrated roofing accessory31 a, 31 b, and 31 c (denoted with dotted lines); and computing devicecommunication providing 5G signals to a computing device, such as the5G-enabled vehicle 45 (denoted with dashed lines).

In order to deliver reliable connectivity to a user in the presence ofobstacles, a mmWave access point network may be built with redundanciesof antennae 31 a through 31 c. There may be enough redundancy such that,in the event of LOS blocking, the network connection of the 5G-enableddevice can be rapidly rerouted via another (e.g., from antenna 31 a toantenna 31 b or 31 c). In such a mmWave access point network, or meshnetwork, a cluster of access points (e.g., integrated roofingaccessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c) may be coordinated to provideuninterrupted connectivity to the 5G-enabled device. By using such acluster of access points, the network may overcome radio-link blockagesdue to obstacles.

In some embodiments, mesh networking, or the inter-home communication,supports network administration, maintenance and backhaul communicationto the carrier. In some embodiments, each structure or home 40 a, 40 band 40 c may maintain communication with as many structures as possiblein the event a structure goes away or there is a better path back to thecarrier. Thus, in some embodiments, data transmission from a computingdevice back to a backhaul infrastructure may be dynamically managedwithin the network of 5G-enabled integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31b, and 31 c. For example, a primary data connect for the vehicle 45 maybe provided by home 40 b because the integrated roofing accessories 31 band 31 c with line-of-sight (LOS) to the vehicle 45 may communicate witheach other to determine that integrated roofing accessory 31 b has astronger connection, and thus greater signal strength and signalintegrated, resulting in greater speeds, greater stability, anddecreased error rates and drop-outs.

As described above, each 5G-enabled device (e.g., vehicle 45, asmartphone, a computer, a WiFi hotspot, among other 5G-enabled devices)in a mmWave network may be served by a cluster of integrated roofingaccessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c. In some embodiments, the integratedroofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c may be selected to be membersof the cluster set of a computing device based on which integratedroofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c are accessible by the device.

In some embodiments, each integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and31 c may be considered to be accessible if the device can receive abeacon waveform via the integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and 31c. For example, in some embodiments, the mmWave capable integratedroofing accessories 11 may be installed on top of buildings, such aseach residential home 40 a, 40 b and 40 c. As a result of the shadowingloss characteristics within the mmWave band, the radio link between acomputing device, such as a 5G-enabled vehicle 45, and serving accesspoint, antenna 31 b and/or antenna 31 c, will likely be disrupted if theline-of-sight (LOS) between the vehicle 45 and the access point isblocked by obstacles. For example, where the vehicle 45 passes close toanother building with another antenna 31 a, the LOS may be broken by theroof 43 a, or the antenna 31 a may not have the angular range to directa beamformed signal to the location of the vehicle 45. Similarly, when apedestrian (with a 5G-enabled device) walks along a sidewalk, thepedestrian's LOS may be blocked by fixed obstacles (such as trees), ormay be blocked by moving obstacles (such as large trucks), or may beblocked by other pedestrians. In a campus courtyard or a touristhotspot, LOS blocking may be caused by crowds. Other types of LOSblocking may be caused by user motions, such as by hand or bodyrotations.

In some embodiments, among the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31b, and 31 c, one particular integrated roofing accessory (e.g.,integrated roofing accessory 31 b) can be selected as the servingintegrated roofing accessory 31 b for the device, e.g., the vehicle 45to prevent or minimize the blocking and other disruptions. In someembodiments, the vehicle 45 may select the serving integrate roofingaccessory, and/or integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b or 31 c inthe mesh network may cooperatively identify the serving roofingaccessory based on the strength and stability of test signals using,e.g., a beacon waveform. For example, to select the integrated roofingaccessory to serve the vehicle 45 or other device, the beacon waveformmay be a broadcast beacon or a swept beam beacon, whose reception has asignal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) threshold above a certain threshold or abovethe beacon waveform of each other integrate roofing accessory 31 a, 31 band 31 c. Accessibility information of an integrated roofing accessory31 a, 31 b, and 31 c by a device may indicate the best, e.g., transmitand receive beam weights, the antenna polarization (e.g. horizontal,vertical or circular) and the corresponding signal strengths. Thetransmit and receive antenna weights having the greatest signal strengthand stability may determine the antenna directivity for a multi-elementantenna array. The antenna weights can be implemented using either ananalog, digital or hybrid implementation. Other implementations ofdirectional antennas could also be supported by this description. Forexample, a dielectric lens antenna can focus mmWave energy throughdiffraction similar to how an optical lens focuses light. The antennadirectivity of a dielectric lens antenna is controlled by configuringthe switching feed elements.

In some embodiments, the beam synchronization may be maintained, e.g.,by selecting the best beams for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL)communication with each of the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31b, and 31 c as the vehicle 45 moves physically through the network.Based on signal characteristics, e.g., detected by the integratedroofing accessories 31 a, 31 b and 31 c or the vehicle 45, or both, theservicing integrate roofing accessory may be maintained or changed asshadowing, blockage and distance to the vehicle 45 changes. For example,the serving roofing accessory may be tested for strength and integrityof signal each, e.g., 1 millisecond (ms), 10 ms, 100 ms, 250 ms, 500 ms,1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or other testing frequency.

In some embodiments, the maximize the area covered by signals from theintegrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b and 31 c, the integratedroofing accessories 31 a, 31 b and 31 c may be installed onto therespective roofs 43 a, 43 b, and 43 c in an optimum roofingconfiguration, such as the configurations described above with referenceto FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the vertical configuration 431 d mayprovide the greatest angular coverage.

In some embodiments, the mesh network may support backhaul by, e.g.,forcing Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). BGP can support fast routeswitching of large networks. In addition, BGP may function as a routingbridge between 5G wireless, 4G/LTE/5G(lite) and wired networks. However,other suitable routing protocols may be employed instead or in addition.

FIG. 6 depicts a diagram illustrative of embodiments of the presentdescription including a residential neighborhood. Based upon statisticsand sampling, roofing material is installed on one of three homes in theUnited States. The distribution may likely be more or less than 1 of 3.Generally, when roofing tracks are installed a contractor will choose abrand of roofing accessories for the roofing for most properties.

The circles on the homes represent the structures with the integratedroofing accessory 11. At the bottom of the diagram there are two sourcesof internet access for a 5G Roofing accessory network: Structure-A whichis directly connected to fiber back to the carrier and the other, asuper cell that connects to Structures A and B via wireless backhaul.

For Structure-A, the primary backhaul and internet access may beprovided by the directly connected fiber. Secondary backhaul andinternet access will be provided by the wireless supercell. The tertiarynetwork access for Structure-A will come from Structure-B which iswireless connected to the supercell.

Structures-A, B, and C and the other structures with circles representand participate in the 5G Roofing accessory Mesh network. Each bluedot/structure will have multiple dynamic paths/connection to the carriernetwork and services, plus the internet.

At least some aspects of the present disclosure will now be describedwith reference to the following numbered clauses.

Clause 1. A system comprising:

-   -   at least one first integrated roofing accessory installed on a        first roof, wherein the at least one first integrated roofing        accessory comprises:        -   i) at least one first transceiver configured to produce            millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency signals using at least            one fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol,        -   ii) at least one first dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one first transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol,        -   iii) a first edge computing device having at least one first            processor and at least one first non-transitory storage with            first software to operate the first edge computing device in            communication with the at least one first transceiver, and        -   iv) at least one first power supply;    -   at least one second integrated roofing accessory installed on a        second roof, wherein the at least one second integrated roofing        accessory comprises:        -   i) at least one second transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one second dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one second transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol,        -   iii) a second edge computing device having at least one            second processor and at least one second non-transitory            storage with second software to operate the second edge            computing device in communication with the at least one            second transceiver, and        -   iv) at least one second power supply;    -   at least one third integrated roofing accessory installed on a        third roof, wherein the at least one third integrated roofing        accessory comprises:        -   i) at least one third transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one third dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one third transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol,        -   iii) a third edge computing device having at least one third            processor and at least one third non-transitory storage with            third software configured to operate the third edge            computing device in communication with the at least one            third transceiver, and        -   iv) at least one third power supply;    -   wherein the first software, the second software and the third        software are configured to cause, when executed, the at least        one first integrated roofing accessory, the at least one second        integrated roofing accessory and third the plurality of        integrated roofing accessories to form a 5G network using the        mmWave frequency signals; and    -   wherein at least one of the first software, the second software,        and the third software are further configured to cause, when        executed, the 5G network to communicate with at least one        computing device.        Clause 2. A method comprising:    -   controlling, by at least one first processor of at least one        edge computing device of at least one first integrated roofing        accessory, at least one first transceiver to produce millimeter        wave (mmWave) frequency signals using at least one fifth        generation cellular networking (5G) protocol;        -   wherein the at least one first integrated roofing accessory            is installed on a first roof;    -   controlling, the at least one first transceiver, at least one        first dielectric antenna to emit the mmWave frequency signals        according to the at least one 5G protocol;    -   controlling, by at least one second processor of at least one        edge computing device of at least one second integrated roofing        accessory, at least one second transceiver to produce the mmWave        frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol;        -   wherein the at least one second integrated roofing accessory            is installed on a second roof;    -   controlling, the at least one second transceiver, at least one        second dielectric antenna to emit the mmWave frequency signals        according to the at least one 5G protocol;    -   controlling, by at least one third processor of at least one        edge computing device of at least one third integrated roofing        accessory, at least one third transceiver to produce the mmWave        frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol;        -   wherein the at least one third integrated roofing accessory            is installed on a third roof;    -   controlling, the at least one third transceiver, at least one        third dielectric antenna to emit the mmWave frequency signals        according to the at least one 5G protocol;    -   producing, by the at least one first processor, the at least one        second processor and the at least one third processor, a 5G        network using the mmWave frequency signals; and    -   causing the network to communicate, by the at least one first        processor, the at least one second processor and the at least        one third processor, with at least one computing device.        Clause 3. A method comprising:    -   obtaining at least one first integrated roofing accessory,        comprising:        -   i) at least one first transceiver configured to produce            millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency signals using at least            one fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol,        -   ii) at least one first dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one first transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol, and        -   iii) a first edge computing device having at least one first            processor and at least one first non-transitory storage with            software;    -   mounting the at least one first integrated roofing accessory on        a first roof;    -   obtaining at least one second integrated roofing accessory,        comprising:        -   i) at least one second transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one second dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one second transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol, and        -   iii) a second edge computing device having at least one            second processor and at least one second non-transitory            storage with software;    -   mounting the at least one second integrated roofing accessory on        a second roof;    -   obtaining at least one third integrated roofing accessory,        comprising:        -   i) at least one third transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one third dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one third transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol, and        -   iii) a third edge computing device having at least one third            processor and at least one third non-transitory storage with            software;    -   mounting the at least one third integrated roofing accessory on        a third roof;    -   wherein the first software, the second software and the third        software are configured to cause, when executed, the at least        one first integrated roofing accessory, the at least one second        integrated roofing accessory and third the plurality of        integrated roofing accessories to form a 5G network using the        mmWave frequency signals; and    -   wherein at least one of the first software, the second software,        and the third software are further configured to cause, when        executed, the 5G network to communicate with at least one        computing device.        Clause 4. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein at least one of the at least one first integrated        roofing accessory, the at least one second integrated roofing        accessory, or the at least one third integrated roofing        accessory is integrated into at least one modified photovoltaic        module.        Clause 5. The systems and methods of clause 4, wherein the at        least one modified photovoltaic module comprises at least one        photovoltaic panel.        Clause 6. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein at least one of the at least one first transceiver, the        at least one second transceiver, or the at least one third        transceiver comprises a software-defined radio module.        Clause 7. The systems and methods of clause 6, wherein the        software-defined radio module comprises a virtual firewall.        Clause 8. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein the 5G network is defined according to an Open Systems        Interconnection (OSI) model.        Clause 9. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein the at least one first integrated roofing accessory        further comprises:    -   a compartment, holding:        -   i) the at least one first transceiver,        -   ii) the at least one first dielectric antenna, and        -   iii) the at least one first edge computing device;        -   wherein a portion of the compartment comprises a roofing            material; and    -   a frame connected to the compartment and to the first roof.        Clause 10. The systems and methods of clause 9, wherein the        compartment extends vertically above the first roof.        Clause 11. The systems and methods of clause 9, wherein the        frame is installed into a ridge vent of the first roof.        Clause 12. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein the at least one first integrated roofing accessory        further comprises:    -   a shingle, holding:        -   i) the at least one first transceiver,        -   ii) the at least one first dielectric antenna, and        -   iii) the at least one first edge computing device.            Clause 13. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein the at least one first dielectric antenna is a            plurality of first dielectric antennas.            Clause 14. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein the at least one first integrated roofing accessory            further comprises:    -   a siding, holding:        -   i) the at least one first transceiver,        -   ii) the at least one first dielectric antenna, and        -   iii) the at least one first edge computing device.            Clause 15. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein at least one of the first software, the second            software, or the third software are further configured to            cause, when executed, the 5G network to communicate with at            least one customer access radio enabled computing device.            Clause 16. The systems and methods of clause 15, wherein the            customer access radio enabled device comprises a WiFi            communication module.            Clause 17. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3:    -   wherein the at least one first integrated roofing accessory        comprise a first data storage device and a first compute device;    -   wherein the at least one second integrated roofing accessory        comprise a second data storage device and a second compute        device;    -   wherein the at least one third integrated roofing accessory        comprise a third data storage device and a third compute device;        and    -   wherein the first software, the second software and the third        software are configured to cause, when executed, the at least        one first integrated roofing accessory, the at least one second        integrated roofing accessory and third the plurality of        integrated roofing accessories to form a distributed datacenter        across the 5G network.        Clause 18. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        further comprising a fiber optic connection between a backhaul        network and at least one of the at least one first integrated        roofing accessory, the at least one second integrated roofing        accessory, or the at least one third integrated roofing        accessory.        Clause 19. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein the 5G network is a mesh network.        Clause 20. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        further comprising an array of photovoltaic panels; and    -   wherein at least one of the at least one first integrated        roofing accessory, the at least one second integrated roofing        accessory, or the at least one third integrated roofing        accessory is powered by the array of photovoltaic panels.        Clause 21. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        further comprising a mains power connection via a ridge vent;        and    -   wherein at least one of the at least one first integrated        roofing accessory, the at least one second integrated roofing        accessory, or the at least one third integrated roofing        accessory is powered by the mains power connection.

At least some aspects of the present disclosure will now be describedwith reference to the following additional numbered clauses.

Clause 1. A system comprising:

-   -   a first plurality of integrated roofing accessories installed on        a first roof, wherein the first plurality of integrated roofing        accessories comprise:        -   i) at least one first transceiver configured to produce            millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency signals using at least            one fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol,        -   ii) at least one first dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one first transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol,        -   iii) a first edge computing device having at least one first            processor and at least one first non-transitory storage with            first software to operate the first edge computing device in            communication with the at least one first transceiver, and        -   iv) at least one first power supply;    -   a second plurality of integrated roofing accessories installed        on a second roof, wherein the second plurality of integrated        roofing accessories comprise:        -   i) at least one second transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one second dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one second transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol,        -   iii) a second edge computing device having at least one            second processor and at least one second non-transitory            storage with second software to operate the second edge            computing device in communication with the at least one            second transceiver, and        -   iv) at least one second power supply;    -   a third plurality of integrated roofing accessories installed on        a third roof, wherein the third plurality of integrated roofing        accessories comprise:        -   i) at least one third transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one third dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one third transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol,        -   iii) a third edge computing device having at least one third            processor and at least one third non-transitory storage with            third software configured to operate the third edge            computing device in communication with the at least one            third transceiver, and        -   iv) at least one third power supply;    -   wherein the first software, the second software and the third        software are configured to cause, when executed, the first        plurality of integrated roofing accessories, the second        plurality of integrated roofing accessories and third the        plurality of integrated roofing accessories to form a computer        network using the mmWave frequency signals; and    -   wherein at least one of the first software, the second software,        and the third software are further configured to cause, when        executed, the computer network to communicate with at least one        computing device.        Clause 2. A method comprising:    -   controlling, by at least one first processor of at least one        edge computing device of at least one first plurality of        integrated roofing accessories, at least one first transceiver        to produce millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency signals using at        least one fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol;        -   wherein the first plurality of integrated roofing            accessories are installed on a first roof;    -   controlling, the at least one first transceiver, at least one        first dielectric antenna to emit the mmWave frequency signals        according to the at least one 5G protocol;    -   controlling, by at least one second processor of at least one        edge computing device of at least one second plurality of        integrated roofing accessories, at least one second transceiver        to produce the mmWave frequency signals using the at least one        5G protocol;        -   wherein the second plurality of integrated roofing            accessories are installed on a second roof;    -   controlling, the at least one second transceiver, at least one        second dielectric antenna to emit the mmWave frequency signals        according to the at least one 5G protocol;    -   controlling, by at least one third processor of at least one        edge computing device of at least one third plurality of        integrated roofing accessories, at least one third transceiver        to produce the mmWave frequency signals using the at least one        5G protocol;        -   wherein the third plurality of integrated roofing            accessories are installed on a third roof;    -   controlling, the at least one third transceiver, at least one        third dielectric antenna to emit the mmWave frequency signals        according to the at least one 5G protocol;    -   producing, by the at least one first processor, the at least one        second processor and the at least one third processor, a        computer network using the mmWave frequency signals; and    -   causing the network to communicate, by the at least one first        processor, the at least one second processor and the at least        one third processor, with at least one computing device.        Clause 3. A method comprising:    -   obtaining a first plurality of integrated roofing accessories,        comprising:        -   i) at least one first transceiver configured to produce            millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency signals using at least            one fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol,        -   ii) at least one first dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one first transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol, and        -   iii) a first edge computing device having at least one first            processor and at least one first non-transitory storage with            software;    -   mounting the first plurality of integrated roofing accessories        on a first roof;    -   obtaining a second plurality of integrated roofing accessories,        comprising:        -   i) at least one second transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one second dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one second transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol, and        -   iii) a second edge computing device having at least one            second processor and at least one second non-transitory            storage with software;    -   mounting the second plurality of integrated roofing accessories        on a second roof;    -   obtaining a third plurality of integrated roofing accessories,        comprising:        -   i) at least one third transceiver configured to produce the            mmWave frequency signals using the at least one 5G protocol,        -   ii) at least one third dielectric antenna in electrical            communication with the at least one third transceiver for            emitting the mmWave frequency signals according to the at            least one 5G protocol, and        -   iii) a third edge computing device having at least one third            processor and at least one third non-transitory storage with            software;    -   mounting the third plurality of integrated roofing accessories        on a third roof;    -   wherein the first software, the second software and the third        software are configured to cause, when executed, the first        plurality of integrated roofing accessories, the second        plurality of integrated roofing accessories and third the        plurality of integrated roofing accessories to form a computer        network using the mmWave frequency signals; and        -   wherein at least one of the first software, the second            software, and the third software are further configured to            cause, when executed, the computer network to communicate            with at least one computing device.            Clause 4. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein at least one of the first plurality of integrated            roofing accessories, the second plurality of integrated            roofing accessories, or the third plurality of integrated            roofing accessories is integrated into at least one modified            photovoltaic module.            Clause 5. The systems and methods of clause 4, wherein the            at least one modified photovoltaic module comprises at least            one photovoltaic panel.            Clause 6. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein at least one of the at least one first transceiver,            the at least one second transceiver, or the at least one            third transceiver comprises a software-defined radio module.            Clause 7. The systems and methods of clause 6, wherein the            software-defined radio module comprises a virtual firewall.            Clause 8. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein the computer network is defined according to an Open            Systems Interconnection (OSI) model.            Clause 9. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein the first plurality of integrated roofing            accessories further comprises:    -   a compartment, holding:        -   i) the at least one first transceiver,        -   ii) the at least one first dielectric antenna, and        -   iii) the at least one first edge computing device;        -   wherein a portion of the compartment comprises a roofing            material; and    -   a frame connected to the compartment and to the first roof.        Clause 10. The systems and methods of clause 9, wherein the        compartment extends vertically above the first roof.        Clause 11. The systems and methods of clause 9, wherein the        frame is installed into a ridge vent of the first roof.        Clause 12. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein at least one integrated roofing accessory of the first        plurality of integrated roofing accessories further comprises:    -   a shingle, holding:        -   i) the at least one first transceiver,        -   ii) the at least one first dielectric antenna, and        -   iii) the at least one first edge computing device.            Clause 13. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein the at least one first dielectric antenna is a            plurality of first dielectric antennas.            Clause 14. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein at least one integrated roofing accessory of the            first plurality of integrated roofing accessories further            comprises:    -   a siding, holding:        -   i) the at least one first transceiver,        -   ii) the at least one first dielectric antenna, and        -   iii) the at least one first edge computing device.            Clause 15. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,            wherein at least one of the first software, the second            software, or the third software are further configured to            cause, when executed, the computer network to communicate            with at least one customer access radio enabled computing            device.            Clause 16. The systems and methods of clause 15, wherein the            customer access radio enabled device comprises a WiFi            communication module.            Clause 17. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3:    -   wherein the first plurality of integrated roofing accessories        comprise a first data storage device and a first compute device;    -   wherein the second plurality of integrated roofing accessories        comprise a second data storage device and a second compute        device;    -   wherein the third plurality of integrated roofing accessories        comprise a third data storage device and a third compute device;        and    -   wherein the first software, the second software and the third        software are configured to cause, when executed, the first        plurality of integrated roofing accessories, the second        plurality of integrated roofing accessories and third the        plurality of integrated roofing accessories to form a        distributed datacenter across the computer network.        Clause 18. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        further comprising a fiber optic connection between a backhaul        network and at least one of the first plurality of integrated        roofing accessories, the second plurality of integrated roofing        accessories, or the third plurality of integrated roofing        accessories.        Clause 19. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        wherein the computer network is a mesh network.        Clause 20. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        further comprising an array of photovoltaic panels; and    -   wherein at least one of the first plurality of integrated        roofing accessories, the second plurality of integrated roofing        accessories, or the third plurality of integrated roofing        accessories is powered by the array of photovoltaic panels.        Clause 21. The systems and methods of clauses 1 through 3,        further comprising a mains power connection via a ridge vent;        and    -   wherein at least one of the first plurality of integrated        roofing accessories, the second plurality of integrated roofing        accessories, or the third plurality of integrated roofing        accessories is powered by the mains power connection.

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B and FIGS. 8A and 8B, mounting arrangementsare depicted for securing at least one communication component (e.g., atleast one 5G component (e.g., antenna)) to or within an integratedroofing accessory 11 and/or the integrated roofing accessory 11 to theroof 43 using direct or indirect attachment with an adjustableattachment 46.

In some embodiments, because 5G signals are directional (see,beamforming described above), antenna 313 placement in an area canaffect 5G signal stability and strength because 5G signals may bedependent upon the clearest line of sight for the best possiblecommunication. As described above, the 5G signals may be restricted towhich the conical FOV of an antenna 313. Stationary placement affordslimited beam steering to improve, compensate for, or other addresssignal performance affecting conditions.

In some embodiments, the signal performance affecting conditions caninclude, e.g., a physical environment, such as roof features (e.g.,size, shape, height, slope, etc.), trees and other vegetation, surroundbuildings, houses and other structures, and any other features of thephysical environment obstructing signaling, weather conditions includingprecipitation (e.g., rain, snow, sleet, hail, etc.), fog, smog, smoke,etc., physical damage such as where the integrated roofing accessory 11and/or the antenna 313 is struck by an object (e.g., fallen branch ortree, sleet or hail, birds and other wildlife, etc.), software errors inthe integrated roofing accessory 11, among other conditions, events,objects, and settings that may affect the performance of communicationcomponents (such as 5G components) that are associated with theintegrated roofing accessory 11.

Thus, in some embodiments, the exemplary communication component (e.g.,5G component (e.g., antenna)) may be removably secured within or to theintegrated roofing accessory 11, utilizing, for example, withoutlimitation, an adjustable attachment 46. In some embodiments, theadjustable attachment 46 may include, e.g., a hinge, a gearedconnection, a motorized attachment, or any other suitable mechanicalarrangement on which, for example, may be secured within or to theintegrated roofing accessory 11 for manual and/or automaticrepositioning and/or reorienting to improve the performance of theantenna 313 (e.g., a 5G antenna or other suitable antenna), by forexample, without limitation, improving beam steering range via physicalsteering and thereby overcome an obstructed or insufficient FOV. Thephysical steering may be employed to augment the beam steering itself inorder to better address signal performance affecting conditions. In someembodiments, the adjustable attachment 46 may physically steer theantenna 313 independent from the integrated roofing accessory 11 overphysical steering range of, e.g., 10 degrees, 20 degrees, 30 degrees, 45degrees, 60 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 90 degrees, 180degrees, 360 degrees, or multiples thereof. In some embodiments, theadjustable attachment 46 may physically steer the antenna 313 around avertical axis, around a horizontal axis, around an axis slanted to bebetween horizontal and vertical, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, t the antenna 313 may be removably secured to orwithin the integrated roofing accessory 11 so that the antenna 313, theelectronics components 21 (e.g., 5G-infrastructure supportingelectronics components (“5G electronics components”) and/or any othersuitable electronics components) or any other communication component,may be replaced without removal of the integrated roofing accessory 11from the roof. For example, if the adjustable attachment 46 is utilizedto secure the antenna 313, or the electronics components 21 or any othercommunication component, to the integrated roofing accessory 11, anexemplary securing mechanism can be non-permanent (e.g., removablemount) so that a malfunctioning communication component (e.g.,malfunctioning antenna 313, a malfunction electronics component of theelectronics components 21) can be removed and replaced by a new workingcommunication component (e.g., new working antenna 313). For example,signal performance affecting conditions may cause an operational errorand/or physical damage to result in the malfunctioning communicationcomponent (e.g., malfunctioning antenna 313).

In some embodiments, the adjustable attachment 46 may include a body 461that may be removably or permanently attached to the integrated roofingaccessory 11 to facilitate securing of at least one communicationcomponent (e.g., antenna 313, electronics components 21, or anycombination of the antenna 313, the electronics components andsub-components thereof) to the integrated roofing accessory 11,positioned on the roof 43. In some embodiments, the body 461 may bedirectly attached, e.g., via one or more mechanical fastener(s) (e.g.,screws, nails, pins, rivets, clamps, and the like), adhesives, and otherforms of attachment and any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the body 461 of the adjustable attachment 46 mayserve to mount to or otherwise position the integrated roofing accessory11 and/or one or more electronics components 21 thereof on the roof 43.In some embodiments, the body 461 may also include a channel or cavityextending therethrough to align with an opening in the roof 43.Accordingly, in some embodiments, electrically wiring from theelectronics components 21 and/or the antenna 313 may be routed throughthe body 461 of the adjustable attachment 46 and into the structureassociated with the roof 43. As a result, the integrated roofingaccessory 11 may be connected to components within the structure viaelectrical wiring, such as, e.g., the customer access radio 35 (e.g., aWiFi radio, a router (wired or wireless), a firewall, computer storageand/or memory, consumer electronics such as computers, televisions, andother smart home appliances, etc.). Routing wiring through the body 461of the adjustable attachment 46 may facilitate maintaining a waterproofintegrity of the roof 43 while enabling wired connections between anintegrated roofing accessory 11 and components and devices within thestructure.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the adjustableattachment 46 may include at least one attachment mechanism 462 toadjustably attach the body 461 to the integrated roofing accessory 11including the antenna 313, or the electronics components 21, to the roof43 or to both the integrated roofing accessory 11 the antenna 313, orthe electronics components 21 and the roof 43. FIG. 7A, simply forillustration purposes, depicts one attachment mechanism 462 forattaching the adjustable attachment 46 to the integrated roofingaccessory 11 the antenna 313, or the electronics components 21. However,the attachment mechanism 462 may be on a side of the body 461 facing theroof 43 for adjustable attachment to the roof 43, or there may be anattachment mechanism 462 on both the side of the body 461 facing theroof 43 and the side of the body 461 facing the integrated roofingaccessory 11 the antenna 313, or the electronics components 21. In someembodiments, the attachment mechanism 462 may include any suitableattachment for permanent or removable attachment of the integratedroofing accessory 11, the roof 43 or both the integrated roofingaccessory 11 and the roof 43. For example, the attachment mechanism 462may include, e.g., one or more bracket(s) that mates to a bracket ormount on the antenna 313, or the electronics components 21 and/or theroof 43, one or more mount(s) that mates to a bracket or mount on theantenna 313, or the electronics components 21 and/or the roof 43, one ormore latch(s), one or more hinge(s), one or more clamp(s), or any otherattachment mechanism or system of attachment mechanisms or anycombination thereof.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 7B, the adjustableattachment 46 may include the at least one attachment mechanism 462 toadjustably attach the body 461 to antenna 313, to the electronicscomponents 21 of the integrated roofing accessory 11, or to both theantenna 313 and the electronics components 21 of the integrated roofingaccessory 11. The integrated roofing accessory 11 including the antenna313 attached to the electronics components 21 via the adjustableattachment 46 may be mounted or otherwise positioned on the roof 43 by,e.g., a direct attachment between the electronics components 21 and theroof 43. FIG. 7B, simply for illustration purposes, depicts oneattachment mechanism 462 for attaching the adjustable attachment 46 tothe antenna 313. However, the attachment mechanism 462 may be on a sideof the body 461 facing the electronics components 21 for adjustableattachment to the electronics components 21, or there may be anattachment mechanism 462 on both the side of the body 461 facing theelectronics components 21 and the side of the body 461 facing theantenna 313. In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism 462 mayinclude any suitable attachment for permanent or removable attachment ofthe electronics components 21, the antenna 313 or both the electronicscomponents 21 and the antenna 313. For example, the attachment mechanism462 may include, e.g., one or more bracket(s) that mates to a bracket ormount on the electronics components 21 and/or the antenna 313, one ormore mount(s) that mates to a bracket or mount on the electronicscomponents 21 and/or the antenna 313, one or more latch(s), one or morehinge(s), one or more clamp(s), or any other attachment mechanism orsystem of attachment mechanisms or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the body 461 may include a suitable adjustmentmechanism to re-tilt, re-angle or re-orient the antenna 313. Theadjustment mechanism may include any manually or computer controlleddevice for adjusting a tilt, angle or orientation of the integratedroofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individuallyrelative to the roof 43. By adjusting the tilt, angle or orientation ofthe integrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313individually, the FOV of the antenna 313 may be re-tilted, re-angled orre-oriented to perform the physical steering of the antenna 313 and theFOV of the antenna 313.

For example, in some embodiments, the body 461 may include, e.g.,friction fit for a hinge (e.g., a hinge of the attachment mechanism 462)such that the body 461 holds the orientation of the hinge in aparticular orientation via friction. Adjustment may then be performed byactuating the tilt of the integrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole,and/or the antenna 313 individually by application of force greater thanthe friction, or by release the friction fit during adjustment andresetting the friction fit upon the completion of the adjustment.

In another example, in some embodiments, the body 461 may include a gearset including one or more gears that engage with one or more gears ofthe attachment mechanism 462. The gear set may be driven by, e.g., anattached crank, a removable crank (e.g., via a keyed slot), a dial, byexternal application of force on the integrated roofing accessory 11 asa whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually to overcome internalfriction of an enclosed gear set, or by any other suitable adjustment.

In some embodiments, the body 461 may include, e.g., a powered actuator,such as, e.g., an electrically driven actuator, a hydraulically drivenactuator, and the like. In some embodiments, the powered actuator mayinclude one or more linear actuators that raise and lower portions ofthe integrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313individually to adjust tilt to adjust the orientation, and adjust theposition by raising and/or lowering the integrated roofing accessory 11as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually. For example, fourlinear actuators may be employed in a spaced relationship on or withinthe attachment mechanism 462 or directly connected to the integratedroofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually.Variations in the length of extension of each linear actuator mayeffectuate a particular degree of tilt, and thus a particularorientation for physical steering of the FOV of the antenna 313. In someembodiments, the linear actuators may alternatively or additionally bemounted so as to shift the integrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole,and/or the antenna 313 individually from side to side, forward and back,or up and down.

In some embodiments, the powered actuator may include a rotationalactuator, e.g., a motor such as an electric motor. The electric motormay be directly attached to a hinge or axle attached to the integratedroofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually,e.g., directly or via the attachment mechanism 462 to cause a rotationin a direction and cause the tilt. In some embodiments, the rotationalactuator may be combined with the gear set as described above.

In some embodiments, the powered actuator may be controlled, as will bedescribed in greater detail below, via processing device, e.g., housedin the body 461 (e.g., the edge computing device 32 or other computingdevice), connected via a suitable communication interface (e.g., wiredor wireless communication interfaces and/or protocols), or a combinationthereof. For example, the technician may utilize a computing deviceexternal to the adjustable attachment 46 to control the powered actuatorvia the communication interface either remotely (e.g., via an internetconnection) or locally via a local connection (e.g., wired connection,WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, etc.). In another example, thetechnician may utilize controls mounted on the body 461 to control thepowered actuator.

In some embodiments, the powered actuator may be controlledautomatically, as will be described in greater detail below, viaprocessing device, e.g., housed in the body 461 (e.g., the edgecomputing device 32 or other computing device), connected via a suitablecommunication interface (e.g., wired or wireless communicationinterfaces and/or protocols), or a combination thereof. For example, theprocessing device may include suitable algorithms to automaticallyadjust tilt and/or position for physical steering to, e.g., optimizeorientation, address faults and errors, increase the beam steeringrange, or other functionality.

In some embodiments, the adjustable attachment 46 may be manuallyadjusted to physically steer the integrated roofing accessory 11 as awhole, and/or the antenna 313 individually in response to signalperformance affecting conditions. For example, during installation ofthe integrated roofing accessory 11, a technique or other personnel mayadjust the adjustable attachment 46 to select an optimum orientation ofthe antenna 313 FOV by physically steering the integrated roofingaccessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually. Similarly,the technician or other user may adjust the adjustable attachment 46 toaddress a current orientation of the integrated roofing accessory 11 asa whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually. For example, signalperformance affecting conditions may include where the integratedroofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually isstruck by an object (e.g., fallen branch or tree, sleet or hail, birdsand other wildlife, etc.), the technician may adjust the adjustableattachment 46 to realign the integrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole,and/or the antenna 313 individually with orientation of optimalperformance.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory 11 may generateand log performance data related to, e.g., signal-to-noise ratios ofcommunications with other 5G-enabled devices, signal strength ofcommunications with other 5G-enabled devices, packet loss or data lossin communications with other 5G-enabled devices, among other performancedata. The technician may use the performance data to determine animproved orientation of the integrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole,and/or the antenna 313 individually. In some embodiments, theperformance data may be combined with signal performance affectingconditions such as the physical environment, such as roof features(e.g., size, shape, height, slope, etc.), trees and other vegetation,surround buildings, houses and other structures, and any other featuresof the physical environment. For example, in some embodiments, thetechnician may connect a computing device having a display to theintegrated roofing accessory 11. The integrated roofing accessory 11 mayprovide to the computing device a continuous stream of the performancedata in real-time. The technician may view, on the display, thecontinuous stream of current performance data in real-time to monitorthe effect of adjusting the physical steering and re-orientation of theintegrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313individually according to changes in the current performance data. Thetechnician may, therefore, discover the optimum orientation for theintegrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313individually at the location where it is mounted on the roof. In someembodiments, the technician may adjust the physical steering andorientation during installation or anytime thereafter, e.g., in responseto an alert of a signal performance affecting condition.

In some embodiments, the optimal orientation may be determinedalgorithmically, using machine learning techniques, through trial anderror, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the performancedata may include the use of the beacon waveform as described above,whose reception has a SNR threshold above a certain threshold. Theperformance data may be indicative of a 5G signaling or communicationperformance of the integrated roofing accessory 11 relative to another5G-enabled device that may indicate the best, e.g., transmit and receivebeam weights, the antenna 313 polarization (e.g. horizontal, vertical orcircular) and the corresponding signal strengths. The transmit andreceive antenna 313 weights having the greatest signal strength andstability may determine the physical orientation of the integratedroofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually. Insome embodiments, the antenna 313 may be rotated through a scanningrange periodically to assess orientations with the greatest performancebased at least in part on at least one environmental condition (e.g.,physical obstacle, weather conditions, etc.). In some embodiments,during rotation, sample performance data may be collected from thebeacon waveform to determine orientations and/or positions having thegreatest signal strength and/or stability. In some embodiments, thesample performance data is collected incrementally or iteratively inresponse to a drop in signal performance during operation. When thesignal performance drops, the antenna 313 may be rotated or otherwiserepositioned to a next orientation and/or position, and where the sampleperformance data at the next orientation and/or position is better thanthe original orientation and/or position, then the next orientation ismaintained as a new orientation and/or position. Where there is noimprovement to the performance, the antenna 313 may be rotated to a nextorientation and/or position and the process repeated, or it may bereturned to the original orientation and/or position.

In some embodiments, a power level to the antenna 313 and the resultingperformance data may be similarly assessed. The power level may besampled at various power levels and the resulting performance datacollected. In some embodiments, the power level having the greatestperformance may be selected for use in communication. In someembodiments, the sample performance data is collected incrementally oriteratively in response to a drop in signal performance duringoperation. When the signal performance drops, the power level may beadjusted to a next higher power level and/or next lower power level, andwhere the sample performance data at the next higher power level and/ornext lower power level is better than the original power level, then thenext higher power level and/or next lower power level is maintained as anew power level.

In some embodiments, the performance of the communication may beassessed with respect to orientation, position or signal strength, orany combination thereof. Thus, antenna 313 characteristics includingorientation, position and signal strength may, in any suitablecombination, be varied to sample performance data and/or determineimproved characteristics for improved signal and/or communicationperformance.

For example, in some embodiments, a machine learning model may betrained to correlate performance data with the presence and relativelocation of features of the physical environment. In some embodiments,the integrated roofing accessory 11 may track performance data withrespect to physical steering and beam steering of the integrated roofingaccessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually. Whether aphysical environment includes a feature within the FOV may be providedas feedback to train the machine learning model to train the machinelearning model to predict from the performance data the location and/orpresence of a feature of the physical environment. The prediction may beprovided to the technician provide an alert of potential performanceimprovements. For example, the integrated roofing accessory 11 maynotify the technician when the FOV of the antenna 313 is misaligned withrespect to surroundings (e.g., facing the wrong direction on the roof,oriented towards the roof, another structure or other physical feature,etc.).

In some embodiments, a machine learning model and/or logical algorithmmay use the performance data and/or usage data to determine aneffectiveness of a current orientation of the integrated roofingaccessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually. Forexample, where the integrated roofing accessory 11 has less 5Gcommunication traffic than, e.g., nearby integrated roofing accessories,or than the integrated roofing accessory 11 has had in the past, theintegrated roofing accessory 11 may benefit from physical steering toreorient the integrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or theantenna 313 individually.

In some embodiments, the adjustable attachment 46 may operateautomatically to in response to the performance data and variation ofthe performance data through time. In some embodiments, computingdevices and/or processors, such as the edge computing device 32, mayconnected to the adjustable attachment 46 to control the adjustableattachment 46 to physically steer the integrated roofing accessory 11 asa whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually. In some embodiments, asdescribed above, the optimal orientation may be determinedalgorithmically, using machine learning techniques, or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the performance data may include the useof the beacon waveform as described above, whose reception has a SNRthreshold above a certain threshold. The performance data information ofan integrated roofing accessory 11 relative to another 5G-enabled devicemay indicate the best, e.g., transmit and receive beam weights, theantenna 313 polarization (e.g. horizontal, vertical or circular) and thecorresponding signal strengths. The transmit and receive antenna 313weights having the greatest signal strength and stability may determinethe physical orientation of the integrated roofing accessory 11 as awhole, and/or the antenna 313 individually having the greatestperformance in communication with another 5G-enabled computing device.Accordingly, in some embodiments, the computing devices and/orprocessors may automatically adjust the adjustable attachment 46 toachieve the optimal orientation.

In some embodiments, the computing devices and/or processors may combinebeam steering with physical steering via control of the adjustableattachment 46. In some embodiments, the computing devices and/orprocessors may steer the beam within the FOV of the antenna 313. Oncethe beam has reached the edge of the FOV of the antenna 313, thecomputing devices and/or processors may automatically control theadjustable attachment 46 to physical steer the integrated roofingaccessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually to providegreater range steering for the beam. In some embodiments, the computingdevices and/or processors may physically steer in the integrated roofingaccessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313 individually to maintainthe beam within the center of the FOV of the antenna 313 until thephysical steering range has been reached, and then steering the beamitself within the FOV of the antenna 313. Accordingly, the computingdevices and/or processors may utilize physical steering of theintegrated roofing accessory 11 as a whole, and/or the antenna 313individually to augment the FOV of the antenna 313 for improved angularrange and, thus, improved 5G communications performance with other5G-enabled devices.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, an adjustableattachment 46 a, 46 b through 46 c may be provided for each integratedroofing accessory 11 on the roof 43. For example, the roof 43 mayinclude, e.g., two, three, four, five, ten, or more antennae 313 a, 313b through 313 n and/or sets of electronic components 21 a, 21 b through21 n and multiples thereof. In some embodiments, the antennae 313 a, 313b through 313 n and/or sets of electronic components 21 a, 21 b through21 n may be positioned on one slope of a sloped roof, on multiple sloopsof a sloped roof, on a ridge of a sloped roof, in a sub-region of a flatroof, in a sub-region of one or more slopes of a sloped roof, in eachsub-region of a flat or sloped roof, or any other configurations or anycombination thereof.

In some embodiments, as described above, the attachment mechanisms 462a, 462 b through 462 n of each adjustable attachment 46 a through 46 bmay be configured to adjustably attach the bodies 461 a, 461 b through461 n to a respective one of the antennae 313 a through 313 n and setsof electronic components 21 a through 21 n, to adjustably attach thebodies 461 a through 461 n to the roof 43, or both. FIG. 8A, simply forillustration purposes, depicts one attachment mechanism 462 a through462 n for each adjustable attachment 46 a through 46 n. However, theattachment mechanisms 462 a through 462 n may be on one or both sides ofeach body 461 a through 461 n to adjustably position each antennae 313 athrough 313 n and/or sets of electronic components 21 a through 21 n onthe roof 43. In some embodiments, the attachment mechanisms 462 athrough 462 n may include any suitable attachment for permanent orremovable attachment of each antennae 313 a through 313 n and/or sets ofelectronic components 21 a through 21 n to the roof 43.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, each adjustableattachment 46 a through 46 n may include the at least one attachmentmechanism 462 a through 462 n to adjustably attach the bodies 461 athrough 461 n to antennae 313 a through 313 n and sets of electroniccomponents 21 a through 21 n of each integrated roofing accessory 11.Each of the antennae 313 a through 313 n are attached to the sets ofelectronics components 21 a through 21 n via the adjustable attachments46 a through 46 n may be mounted or otherwise positioned on the roof 43by, e.g., a direct attachment between the sets of the electronicscomponents 21 a through 21 n and the roof 43. As above, FIG. 8B, simplyfor illustration purposes, depicts one attachment mechanism 462 athrough 462 n for attaching each set of the electronics components 21 athrough 21 n to each of the antennae 313 a through 313 n via theadjustable attachments 46 a through 46 n. However, the attachmentmechanisms 462 a through 462 n may be on one or both sides of each body461 a through 461 n.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 of FIGS. 8Aand 8B may be individually or collectively adjusted via the adjustableattachments 46 a through 46 n. As a result, each integrated roofingaccessory 11, and therefore, the FOV of each antenna 313 a through 313 nmay be individually and independently physically steered, and the setsof the electronics components 21 a through 21 n of each integratedroofing accessory 11 may be individually and independently replacedand/or repaired.

For example, each integrated roofing accessory 11 may be individuallycontrolled, e.g., by respective processing devices of the sets of theelectronics components 21 a through 21 n, according to any one or moreof the techniques described above, including logical algorithm, machinelearning, or other automated control, or via individual manual control.In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may becollectively controlled by one or more of the processing devices of thesets of the electronics components 21 a through 21 n, e.g., via a masteror primary set of the electronics components 21 a through 21 nprocessing device, or via a distributed network to coordinate controlacross all sets of the electronics components 21 a through 21 n. Forexample, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may be collectivelycontrolled to form a larger multi-element antenna array formed from eachof the antennae 313 a through 313 n of the integrated roofingaccessories 11 for, e.g., greater MIMO (e.g., as described above).

In some embodiments, the performance of the communication of one or moreof the antennae 313 a through 313 n may be assessed, eitherindependently or in conjunction, with respect to orientation, positionor signal strength, or any combination thereof. Thus, antennae 313 athrough 313 n characteristics including orientation, position and signalstrength of each individual antennae 313 a through 313 n may, in anysuitable combination, be varied to sample performance data and/ordetermine improved characteristics for improved signal or communicationperformance.

FIG. 9 depicts an integrated roofing accessory 11 installed on a roof 43via a ridge vent. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory11 may include the antenna 313 over the ridge vent external to thestructure 40 with the electronics components 21 within the structure 40via the roof vent through the roof 43. In some embodiments, theelectronics components 21 may be connected to other electronics withinthe structure 40, including, e.g., a terminal adapter 22, a modem, arouter, among others or any combination thereof. One or more computerand/or one or more wireless device may communicate with the integratedroofing accessory 11, e.g., directly or via the router and/or modem inthe structure 40.

FIGS. 10 through 12D depict example embodiments of adjustable attachmentof the antenna 313 to a roof vent, e.g., as shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 depicts an integrated roofing accessory 11 installed into a roofvent of a roof 43, with antennae 313 a, 313 b, 313 c, 313 d, 313 ethrough 313 e of the integrated roofing accessory 11 mounted on the roofvent 11. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory 11 maycap the roof vent and abut or overlap with one or more shingles on theroof 43. As a result, the antennae 313 a through 313 e sits above theshingle. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory 11 mayinclude the antenna 313 a through 313 e that is between 1 and 12 inchesin length and width, such as, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or12 inches in length, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 inchesin width. The antenna 313 may also have a depth of between 0 and 6inches, such as, e.g., 0.25 to 0.50, 0.50 to 0.75, 0.75 to 1.00, 1.00 to1.25, 1.25 to 1.50, 1.50 to 1.75, 1.75 to 2.00, 2.00 to 2.25, 2.25 to2.50, 2.50 to 2.75, 2.75 to 3.00, or 3.00 or greater in depth.

FIG. 11A depicts an adjustable attachment 46 arrangement whereby anattachment mechanism 462 adjustably attaches an antenna 313 to a body(not shown) within a ridge vent. In some embodiments, the attachmentmechanism 462 include an axle that traverses a first axis of the antenna313 such that the antenna can pivot about the first axis. In someembodiments, the first axis is parallel to the slope of the ridge ventin order to enable the antenna 313 to pivot about the first axleparallel to the slope of the ridge vent for side-to-side steering of theFOV of the antenna 313. Optionally, the axle may be connected to a motor463 (e.g., within the body 461) for automatically controlled actuationof the adjustable attachment 46.

FIG. 11B depicts an adjustable attachment 46 arrangement whereby anattachment mechanism 462 adjustable attaches an antenna 313 to a body(not shown) within a ridge vent. In some embodiments, the attachmentmechanism 462 include an axle that traverses a second axis of theantenna 313 such that the antenna can pivot about the second axis. Insome embodiments, the second axis is perpendicular to the slope of theridge vent in order to enable the antenna 313 to pivot about the axleperpendicular to the slope of the ridge vent for up-and-down steering ofthe FOV of the antenna 313. Optionally, the axle may be connected to amotor 463 (e.g., within the body 461) for automatically controlledactuation of the adjustable attachment 46.

FIGS. 12A though 12C depict an adjustable attachment 46 arrangementwhereby an attachment mechanism 462 adjustable attaches an antenna 313to a body (not shown) within a ridge vent whereby the antenna 313extends vertically above the ridge vent such that at least one face ofthe antenna 313 has a vertical orientation. In some embodiments, theattachment mechanism 462 include an axle that traverses a first axis ofthe antenna 313 such that the antenna can pivot about the first axis. Insome embodiments, the first axis is aligned with the verticalorientation in order to enable the antenna 313 to pivot above the ridgevent about the axle for side-to-side steering of the FOV of the antenna313. FIGS. 12A through 12C show the antenna 313 is three positions ofphysical steering about the axle. Optionally, the axle may be connectedto a motor 463 (e.g., within the body 461) for automatically controlledactuation of the adjustable attachment 46.

FIGS. 12D and 12E depicts an antenna 313 extends vertically above aridge vent such that at least one face of the antenna 313 has a verticalorientation similar to FIGS. 12A through 12C. In addition to or insteadof an attachment mechanism 462 including a vertically oriented axle, theattachment mechanism 462 may include a hinge or horizontally orientedaxle at a base of the antenna 313 where the antenna meets the ridgevent. The hinge or horizontally oriented axle enables the antenna 313 tobe physically steered about an axis aligned with the peak of the ridgevent as shown by the positions illustrated in each of FIG. 12D and FIG.12E. Optionally, the axle may be connected to a motor 463 (e.g., withinthe body 461) for automatically controlled actuation of the adjustableattachment 46.

FIG. 13 depicts an integrated roofing accessory 11 that includes aroofing fixture extending about a roof. In some embodiments, the roofingfixture may include an internal space in which the antenna 313 of theintegrated roofing accessory 11 may be housed. In some embodiments, theantenna 313 may rotate about a vertical axis (“Z-Axis”) that extendsvertically about the roof. In some embodiments, the antenna 313 rotatethough any suitable angular range of motion about the Z-Axis, such as,e.g., 20 degrees, 30 degrees, 40 degrees, 45 degrees, 50 degrees, 60degrees, 70 degrees, 80 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 360 degrees,or any combination and/or multiple thereof. In some embodiments, theroofing fixture may serve as, e.g., a part of the adjustable attachment46, such as the body 461. Thus, attached to the roofing fixture may bean attachment mechanism 462 that holds the antenna 313 for rotationabout the Z-Axis using a suitable rotational motor, bearing, gear set,or other mechanism. Optionally, the axle may be connected to a motor 463(e.g., within the body 461) for automatically controlled actuation ofthe adjustable attachment 46. However, in some embodiments, theattachment mechanism 462 may be separate from the roofing fixture, andthus the roofing fixture may be a distinct part form the adjustableattachment 46. Accordingly, the roofing fixture may be constructed froma material that has a minimal effect on the 5G transmissions emitted bythe antennae 313, such as a material that may be transparent to mmWavetransmissions, thus causing little sufficiently low attenuation to themmWave transmissions for a stable data transmission or reception. Forexample, the roofing fixture may include a polymer, including engineeredpolymers, such as the D30™ Gear4™ and 5G Signal Plus material havingmicrovoids for reducing mmWave attenuation, as described above.

In some embodiments, a method may be implemented for providing anintegrated roofing accessory. In some embodiments, the integratedroofing accessory includes at least one antenna and at least onetransceiver to enable fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocolcommunication with at least one 5G-enabled device. In some embodiments,the integrated roofing accessory: continuously updates, in real-time, acurrent performance indicative of 5G signal performance between theintegrated roofing accessory and the at least one 5G-enabled device, andcontinuously updates, in real-time, a computing device with the currentperformance to enable the at least one technician to view the currentperformance to find an improved orientation. In some embodiments, theintegrated roofing accessory includes at least one adjustable attachmentthat attaches the integrated roofing accessory to the roof. In someembodiments, the method includes manually repositioning the integratedroofing accessory by adjusting the at least one adjustable attachmentbased on the current performance.

In some embodiments, a method may be implemented for providing anintegrated roofing accessory. In some embodiments, the integratedroofing accessory includes at least one antenna and at least onetransceiver to enable fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocolcommunication with at least one 5G-enabled device. In some embodiments,the integrated roofing accessory includes at least one adjustableattachment that attaches the integrated roofing accessory to the roof.In some embodiments, the method includes manually repositioning theintegrated roofing accessory by adjusting the at least one adjustableattachment based on performance data indicative of 5G signal performancebetween the integrated roofing accessory and the at least one 5G-enableddevice.

At least some aspects of the present disclosure will now be describedwith reference to the following numbered clauses.

-   1. A method comprising:    -   obtaining, by at least one processor, performance data of an        integrated roofing accessory installed on a roof;        -   wherein the integrated roofing accessory comprises:            -   at least one antenna and at least one transceiver to                enable fifth generation cellular networking (5G)                protocol communication with at least one 5G-enabled                device, and            -   at least one adjustable attachment configured to at                least one of orient or position the at least one                antenna;        -   wherein the performance data is indicative of 5G signal            performance between the integrated roofing accessory and the            at least one 5G-enabled device;    -   determining, by the at least one processor, a signal performance        affecting condition based, at least in part, on the performance        data;        -   wherein the signal performance affecting condition is a            reduced signal performance of at least one 5G signal beam            emitted by the at least one antenna according to control by            the at least one transceiver;    -   determining, by the at least one processor, an improved        orientation of the at least one antenna to remedy the signal        performance affecting condition; and    -   controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one        adjustable attachment to physically adjust an orientation the at        least one antenna to achieve the improved orientation.-   2. A method comprising:    -   obtaining, by at least one processor, performance data of a        plurality of integrated roofing accessories installed on a roof;        -   wherein each integrated roofing accessory of the plurality            of integrated roofing accessories comprises:            -   at least one antenna of a plurality of antennae and at                least one transceiver of to enable fifth generation                cellular networking (5G) protocol communication with at                least one 5G-enabled device, and            -   at least one adjustable attachment of a plurality of                adjustable attachments configured to at least one of                orient or position the at least one antenna of the                plurality of antennae;        -   wherein the performance data is indicative of 5G signal            performance between the plurality of integrated roofing            accessories and the at least one 5G-enabled device;    -   determining, by the at least one processor, a signal performance        affecting condition based, at least in part, on the performance        data;        -   wherein the signal performance affecting condition is a            reduced signal performance of at least one 5G signal beam            emitted by the plurality of antenna according to control by            the at least one transceiver;        -   individually determining, by the at least one processor, for            each antenna of the plurality of antennae, at least one of            an improved orientation or an improved position to remedy            the signal performance affecting condition; and        -   individually controlling, by the at least one processor,            each adjustable attachment of the plurality of adjustable            attachments to physically adjust each antenna of the            plurality of antennae to achieve the at least one of the            improved orientation or the improved position.-   3. An integrated roofing accessory comprising:

at least one antenna configured to emit a fifth generation cellularnetworking (5G) protocol communication signal;

at least one transceiver to enable 5G protocol communication with atleast one 5G-enabled device using the 5G protocol communication signal;and

at least one attachment mechanism that is configured to attach at leastone of the at least one antenna or the at least one transceiver withinor to the integrated roofing accessory;

wherein the at least one attachment mechanism is configured to:

physically steer the at least one antenna from a current orientation toa subsequent orientation so as to improve a performance of the 5Gprotocol communication with the at least one 5G-enabled device,physically reposition the at least one antenna from a current positionto a subsequent position so as to improve the performance of the 5Gprotocol communication with the at least one 5G-enabled device, or allowat least one of the at least one antenna or the at least one transceiverto be replaced in the integrated roofing accessory.

-   4. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the determining the improved performance comprises:    -   controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one        adjustable attachment to at least one of:        -   physically adjust an orientation of at least one antenna to            at least one predetermined orientation, or        -   physically adjust a position of at least one antenna to at            least one predetermined position;    -   obtaining, by the at least one processor, sample performance        data for at least one of a predetermined range of orientations        for the at least one of antenna or a predetermined range of        positions for the at least one of antenna; and    -   at least one of:        -   determining, by the at least one processor, the improved            orientation to be an orientation of the at least one antenna            having the greatest performance based, at least in part, on            the sample performance data, or        -   determining, by the at least one processor, the improved            position to be a position of the at least one antenna having            the greatest performance based, at least in part, on the            sample performance data.-   5. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the determining the improved orientation comprises:    -   controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one        adjustable attachment to physically steer the at least one        antenna from a previous orientation to a new orientation;    -   obtaining, by the at least one processor, sample performance        data for the new orientation; and    -   determining, by the at least one processor, the improved        orientation to be one of the previous orientation or the new        orientation that has the greatest performance based, at least in        part, on the sample performance data.-   6. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the signal performance affecting condition is caused by an    insufficient field-of-view (FOV) of the at least one antenna.-   7. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the signal performance affecting condition is caused by an    environmental obstruction.-   8. The systems and methods clause 5, wherein the improved    orientation of the at least one antenna is an orientation where the    5G protocol communication is directed around the environmental    obstruction.-   9. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, further    comprising causing to rotate, by the at least one processor, a gear    engaged with the at least one adjustable attachment to cause the at    least one adjustable attachment to physically adjust the orientation    the at least one antenna to achieve the improved orientation.-   10. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, further    comprising controlling, by the at least one processor, at least one    motor of the at least one adjustable attachment to cause the at    least one adjustable attachment to physically adjust the orientation    the at least one antenna to achieve the improved orientation.-   11. The systems and methods of clause 8, wherein the at least one    motor comprises a linear actuator.-   12. The systems and methods of clause 8, wherein the at least one    motor comprises an electric motor.-   13. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the signal performance affecting condition is caused by an    insufficient field-of-view (FOV) of the at least one antenna.-   14. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the signal performance affecting condition is caused by a feature of    physical environment obstructing signaling.-   13. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position    improves on an insufficient field-of-view (FOV) of the at least one    antenna.-   14. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position    avoids an environmental obstruction.-   15. The systems and methods of clause 14, wherein the at least one    of the optimal orientation or the optimal position comprises a    physical steering of the at least one antenna to re-orient the 5G    protocol communication around the environmental obstruction.-   16. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, further    comprising causing to rotate, by the at least one processor, at    least one gear engaged with the at least one adjustable attachment    of the plurality of attachments to cause the at least one antenna of    the plurality of antennae to achieve the at least one of the optimal    orientation or the optimal position.-   17. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, further    comprising controlling, by the at least one processor, at least one    motor of the at least one adjustable attachment of the plurality of    attachments to cause the at least one antenna of the plurality of    antennae to achieve the at least one of the optimal orientation or    the optimal position.-   18. The systems and methods of clause 18, wherein the at least one    motor comprises a linear actuator.-   19. The systems and methods of clause 18, wherein the at least one    motor comprises an electric motor.-   20. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 3, wherein    the determining the at least one of the optimal orientation or the    optimal position comprises:    -   controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one        adjustable attachment of the plurality of adjustable attachments        to at least one of:        -   physically steer each antenna of the plurality of antennae            to at least one predetermined orientation, or        -   physically reposition each antenna of the plurality of            antennae to at least one predetermined position;    -   obtaining, by the at least one processor, sample performance        data for at least one of a predetermined range of orientations        for the plurality of antennae or a predetermined range of        positions for the plurality of antennae; and    -   at least one of:        -   determining, by the at least one processor, the optimal            orientation to be an orientation of each antenna of the            plurality of antennae having the greatest performance based,            at least in part, on the sample performance data, or        -   determining, by the at least one processor, the optimal            position to be a position of each antenna of the plurality            of antennae having the greatest performance based, at least            in part, on the sample performance data.

As used herein, the term “at least one X or Y” means X, Y or X and Y,where X can be substituted with any term and Y can be substituted withany term.

While several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described,these embodiments are illustrative only, and not restrictive, and thatmany modifications may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart. For example, all dimensions discussed herein are provided asexamples only, and are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining, by at least one processor, performance data of an integrated roofing accessory installed on a roof; wherein the integrated roofing accessory comprises: at least one antenna and at least one transceiver to enable fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol communication with at least one 5G-enabled device, and at least one adjustable attachment configured to at least one of orient or position the at least one antenna; wherein the performance data is indicative of 5G signal performance between the integrated roofing accessory and the at least one 5G-enabled device; determining, by the at least one processor, a signal performance affecting condition based, at least in part, on the performance data; wherein the signal performance affecting condition is a reduced signal performance of at least one 5G signal beam emitted by the at least one antenna according to control by the at least one transceiver; determining, by the at least one processor, at least one of an improved orientation or an improved position of the at least one antenna to remedy the signal performance affecting condition; and at least one of: controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable attachment to physically adjust an orientation of the at least one antenna to achieve the improved orientation, or controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable attachment to physically adjust a position of the at least one antenna to achieve the improved position.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the improved performance comprises: controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable attachment to at least one of: physically adjust an orientation of at least one antenna to at least one predetermined orientation, or physically adjust a position of at least one antenna to at least one predetermined position; obtaining, by the at least one processor, sample performance data for at least one of a predetermined range of orientations for the at least one of antenna or a predetermined range of positions for the at least one of antenna; and at least one of: determining, by the at least one processor, the improved orientation to be an orientation of the at least one antenna having the greatest performance based, at least in part, on the sample performance data, or determining, by the at least one processor, the improved position to be a position of the at least one antenna having the greatest performance based, at least in part, on the sample performance data.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the improved orientation comprises: controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable attachment to physically steer the at least one antenna from a previous orientation to a new orientation; obtaining, by the at least one processor, sample performance data for the new orientation; and determining, by the at least one processor, the improved orientation to be one of the previous orientation or the new orientation that has the greatest performance based, at least in part, on the sample performance data.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal performance affecting condition is caused by an insufficient field-of-view (FOV) of the at least one antenna.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal performance affecting condition is caused by an environmental obstruction.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the improved orientation of the at least one antenna is an orientation where the 5G protocol communication is directed around the environmental obstruction.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing to rotate, by the at least one processor, a gear engaged with the at least one adjustable attachment to cause the at least one adjustable attachment to physically adjust the orientation the at least one antenna to achieve the improved orientation.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling, by the at least one processor, at least one motor of the at least one adjustable attachment to cause the at least one adjustable attachment to physically adjust the orientation the at least one antenna to achieve the improved orientation.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one motor comprises a linear actuator.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one motor comprises an electric motor.
 11. A method comprising: obtaining, by at least one processor, initial performance data of a plurality of integrated roofing accessories installed on a roof; wherein each integrated roofing accessory of the plurality of integrated roofing accessories comprises: an antenna of a plurality of antennae and an transceiver of to enable fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol communication with at least one 5G-enabled device, and an adjustable attachment of a plurality of adjustable attachments configured to at least one of orient or position the an antenna of the plurality of antennae; wherein the initial performance data is indicative of a baseline 5G signal performance between the plurality of integrated roofing accessories and the 5G-enabled device; wherein the initial performance data is for at least one of an initial orientation or an initial position of at least one antenna of the plurality of antennae; controlling, by the at least one processor, at least one adjustable attachment of the plurality of adjustable attachments to iteratively and physically adjust the at least one antenna of the plurality of antennae to at least one of a subsequent orientation or a subsequent position; obtaining, by the at least one processor, subsequent performance data for the plurality of antennae of the plurality of integrated roofing accessories; determining, by the at least one processor, an optimal 5G signal performance based at least in part on the subsequent performance data; wherein the optimal 5G signal performance is associated with at least one of an optimal orientation or an optimal position of the at least one antenna of the plurality of antennae; and at least one of: controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable attachment of the plurality of adjustable attachments to physically adjust the at least one antenna to the optimal orientation, or controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable attachment of the plurality of adjustable attachments to physically adjust the at least one antenna to the optimal position.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position improves on an insufficient field-of-view (FOV) of the at least one antenna.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position avoids an environmental obstruction.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position comprises a physical steering of the at least one antenna to re-orient the 5G protocol communication around the environmental obstruction.
 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising causing to rotate, by the at least one processor, at least one gear engaged with the at least one adjustable attachment of the plurality of attachments to cause the at least one antenna of the plurality of antennae to achieve the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling, by the at least one processor, at least one motor of the at least one adjustable attachment of the plurality of attachments to cause the at least one antenna of the plurality of antennae to achieve the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one motor comprises a linear actuator.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one motor comprises an electric motor.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining the at least one of the optimal orientation or the optimal position comprises: controlling, by the at least one processor, the at least one adjustable attachment of the plurality of adjustable attachments to at least one of: physically steer each antenna of the plurality of antennae to at least one predetermined orientation, or physically reposition each antenna of the plurality of antennae to at least one predetermined position; obtaining, by the at least one processor, sample performance data for at least one of a predetermined range of orientations for the plurality of antennae or a predetermined range of positions for the plurality of antennae; and at least one of: determining, by the at least one processor, the optimal orientation to be an orientation of each antenna of the plurality of antennae having the greatest performance based, at least in part, on the sample performance data, or determining, by the at least one processor, the optimal position to be a position of each antenna of the plurality of antennae having the greatest performance based, at least in part, on the sample performance data.
 20. An integrated roofing accessory comprising: at least one antenna configured to emit a fifth generation cellular networking (5G) protocol communication signal; at least one transceiver to enable 5G protocol communication with at least one 5G-enabled device using the 5G protocol communication signal; and at least one attachment mechanism that is configured to attach at least one of the at least one antenna or the at least one transceiver within or to the integrated roofing accessory; wherein the at least one attachment mechanism is configured to: physically steer the at least one antenna from a current orientation to a subsequent orientation so as to improve a performance of the 5G protocol communication with the at least one 5G-enabled device, physically reposition the at least one antenna from a current position to a subsequent position so as to improve the performance of the 5G protocol communication with the at least one 5G-enabled device, or allow at least one of the at least one antenna or the at least one transceiver to be replaced in the integrated roofing accessory. 